This is the
final instalment of a four-part homily. In the 1st instalment, I
spoke of salvation in terms of the "already and not yet". Christ already reigns
through His Church but all the things of this world are not yet subjected to
Him. Even if that may be the case, the Vigil Mass was considered joyful because we were anticipating
the coming of Christ. We dared to celebrate because we acknowledged and trusted
God’s providence. The focus of the 2nd instalment was on the "already"
whilst we kept the "not yet" at bay. We broke into the midnight celebration of
Christ’s birth. We lingered, marvelled and rejoiced at the birth of our
salvation. In fact, the appropriate posture was silence before the manger of
the helpless Child Jesus. Our reverential silence allowed the mystery of God
made Man to emerge. The 3rd instalment explained the significance of
the ox and the donkey in the imagination of the crib. They were there because
Isaiah spoke of the draught animals as the ones who recognised their owner and their
master’s crib.
Let us
continue in this final instalment to deepen our experience of recognising God
our Lord. The Gospel Reading which consists of eighteen verses is taken from
the Prologue of John. It is not an Infancy
Narrative like those found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The Prologue
starts at the very beginning of time and Creation is presented as the framework
for announcing the Incarnation. John makes a connexion between Genesis and his
Gospel because he echoes the first verse of the Book of Genesis. “In the beginning
was the Word”. It is a profoundly
beautiful poem that the custom from the early Church was for the priests
of the Church to read it over sick people after anointing them and over newly
baptised infants. John’s Prologue was written down and placed in lockets which
the early Christians then would wear around their necks, especially in times of
danger or when travelling.[1]
With
the Prologue, the Mass of the Day is a profound reflexion on why we celebrate
Christmas. It is not surprising that the symbol of John’s Gospel is an eagle
because soaring above the celestial heights he looks from the vantage point of
the mystery of God to
illustrate how this same mystery penetrates the stable and enters the flesh and
blood of man. “The Word became Flesh, and dwelt among us”. (John 1:14) In fact,
the Credo which we will profess shortly will
include the same words et verbum caro factum est and at
about that time, we fall on our knees—much like the carol O Holy Night—in humble acknowledgement that the
mystery of the Word made flesh, this Divine condescension, this holy exchange
between divinity and humanity, symbolised by the use of a drop of water at the
Eucharist, is the only explanation we can give for why we can be saved. And so
at the preparation of the wine, we say, “By the mystery of the water and wine,
may we come to share His divinity as He humbled Himself to share our humanity”.
We
are celebrating not just any birthday; not least of all a great man, a great
guru or a great prophet. We are celebrating the birthday of our Divine Lord in time and according to Pope Benedict, “He came as a
child in order to break down our pride. Perhaps we would have capitulated before power
and wisdom, but He does not want our capitulation. He wants our love. He wants
to free us from our pride and thus make us truly free”.
We, who
come, are here to behold His glory, the glory that was His with the Father from
before time. As we behold Him, as contemplate Him and as we gaze at Him, we
truly see ourselves. So, before we leave the Church today, get close to the
crib to stare in wonder and behold in amazement at the Son of God who came to
be like us and pray that you may walk out like Him so that you may according to
the first reading radiate and let His glory be manifest for all to see.
In summary,
Christmas commemorates the dawn of our salvation. As we savour the mystery of
the Incarnation, it is also a hopeful reminder of what we can be. Come, let us
adore Him.
[1]You know the Taoist custom of writing on pieces of yellow paper
(fu), folding it and placing it in a locket to be worn? We did that too.
However, here I am make a distinction between an amulet and a sacramental.
There is a thin line between magic and faith. An amulet is considered to
contain power in itself whereas a sacramental works on the basis of faith.
