Word to the Wise
Tuesday, December 31, 2013 - Dec. 31 - 7th Day in the Octave of Christmas
[1 John 2:18-21 and John 1:1-18]And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only-begotten Son, full of grace and truth.
The "Prologue" to the Gospel of John is one of the masterpieces of the New Testament. Not only does it serve as a kind of "overture" to the gospel itself, but it is a great statement of faith. The quotation above is a statement of the whole meaning of this season, but also the whole meaning of our Christian faith! Nevertheless, I recommend reading the entire passage today to grasp its depth.
The very first words, "In the beginning...." take us back to Genesis and to the timelessness of Christ. This reflects the fact that the Gospel of John was composed later than the other three and shows the years of reflection on the meaning of Jesus life, death and resurrection as well as his birth! The last words take in all the Old Testament and then all the gospels as well: "From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father's side, has revealed him."
As we get ready to celebrate a new "secular" year, I think this passage from John could help us made a good spiritual start to that year: "In the beginning....." and realize the gift that is Jesus Christ to lead us through the year. AMEN