Word to the Wise
Thursday, December 31, 2015 - 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...[John]
The "Prologue" to the Gospel of John is one of the greatest pieces of literature in the Bible. Although it serves as a kind of "overture" to the rest of the Gospel of John, it could stand on its own as a majestic hymn to Christ, the Word made flesh. I reflected on this gospel passage on Christmas Day when it serves as the gospel scripture for "Mass During the Day." There I emphasized the phrase, "grace and truth" as the meaning of the revelation of God as found in the nativity scene. Today I would like to reflect on the words, "the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."
A story related by the well-known spiritual writer, Ronald Rohlheiser, OMI, is a favorite of mine. It concerns a child who wakes up in the night and begins to cry. Mom rushes in to comfort the child and asks what is the matter. The child replies, "I'm scared. I'm alone." Mom says, "Don't be afraid. You always have God with you." The child replies, "Yes, but I want someone with skin on!" The Gospel of John tells us that God "put skin on" and came to live among us as one like us.
In many ways, the essence of our baptismal commitment to Christ is contained in those words, "put skin on it." A frightened and lonely world continually looks for those who will put skin on their faith and live it amongst us. We can be a revelation of God's love now so that the coming of Christ is not some event that occurred more than 2,000 years ago. It is a continual event manifested in all who put their faith into action. AMEN