SEEING THE GLORY OF GOD THROUGH THE WORD

MADE FLESH

1. The Birth of Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s Promise.

“And the Word became flesh…” (Jn 1:14)
Man disobeyed God. He sinned against God. God banished
him away from paradise and from his sight. Yet God did not
completely abandon man. He assured man of his rehabilitation
and redemption. To man’s seducer, God said, “I will make you
enemies, you and the woman, your offspring and her offspring.
He will crush your head and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis
3:15). The Prophet Isaiah foresaw that “the virgin shall be with
child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” (7:14)
The birth of Jesus, the Emmanuel, affirmed that God is faithful
and true to his promise. He will never forget man and will
always want man’s salvation. With the birth of the savior,
Jesus, the path was paved for man’s return to God. Jesus lifts
us up from our sins and leads us back to God.
Today we make many promises. We make our baptismal
promises. We make promises during our ordination, religious
profession or marriage. There are promises to be good, to
change one’s life for the better, to respect and to obey our
elders. There are also promises to behave, to study, and to
love. Have we been true to our promises?
2. The birth of Jesus was a gift of God’s presence. “…and
made his dwelling among us…” (Jn 1:14)
Our God whom we could not see and touch is now visible to
us. Our God who was above us is now among us. Our
omnipotent God is now reaching out for us. Our God who was
a mystery to us has now a human face, “for the Word was
made flesh” (John 1:14). God, being God, could easily have
saved us from a distance and in an instant. But He did it in the
most difficult way in order to manifest to us his unconditional
love for us.
Now what can we do to show how much we truly love? If we
can truly love those who are last, least, and lost, then they will
see in us the human face of God.
3. The birth of Jesus was a lesson in poverty. “… and we
see his glory…” (Jn 1,14)
The conditions of the birth of Jesus were poor and simple,
devoid of comfort and luxury. The place was a lowly manger.
The visitors were ordinary people. But there was peace. There
was harmony. There was joy. It was indeed a holy birth filled
with acceptance and rejoicing.
The birth of Jesus was a lesson in poverty. Though the birth of
Jesus was lacking in material things, he had everything. He
was filled with God’s spirit. He submitted himself to God’s plan.
He manifested God’s love for mankind. The poverty of Jesus
was when he emptied Himself of his godliness. His poverty was
when he assumed our own likeness and our limitations. His
poverty was when he went to our level, becoming like us
except for sin. Saint Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, said,
“Though being divine in nature, he did not claim in fact equality
with God, but emptied himself, taking on the nature of a
servant, made in human likeness, and in his appearance found
as a man. He humbled himself by being obedient to death,
death on the cross.” (2:6-8)
Now have we become too distant and aloof that we don’t reach
out to God and to our fellowmen? Are we too rich and too
comfortable in our lives that we tend to forget God and those
around us? Are we too absorbed this Christmas season with
what we can buy and acquire? Are we too preoccupied this
Christmas season with what we must get and possess that we
neglect to rely on God and to remember our brothers in need?
Conclusion
The birth of Jesus is God reaching out for us and freeing us
from our old self, from our sins and selfishness to bring us into
his Kingdom. God is reachable. He is touchable. God, who is
divine, became human and made himself vulnerable. God is
now among us. With the birth of Jesus, God is extending his
hands to us. He will not rest until he has found us. Christmas
season implores us to reach out also to God, to return to him
and to remain with him.
Let us not remember Jesus only during Christmas. Rather, we
must reconcile with him for the rest of our lives. As we
celebrate his birthday, let us not forget to invite him in our
hearts and in our homes. Let Jesus be present in us. Let him
dwell into our lives.