RBWords

     Before the "new translation" of the Mass was issued, one of the "prefaces" of the Mass for Christmas Day had these words: "In the wonder of the incarnation your eternal Word has brought to the eyes of faith a new and radiant vision of your glory.  In him we see our God made visible and so are caught up in love of the God we cannot see."  God has "put skin on" God in the person of Jesus.  When we look at that manger scene, the baby born in those crude circumstances is the savior of the world!  The gospel scripture today from the majestic prologue of the Gospel According to John says it best:  And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

     St. Thomas Aquinas, O.P., in speaking of the Incarnation states: "God's very nature is goodness, goodness is by definition self-giving, and the most perfect goodness gave himself to creatures in the most perfect way, 'uniting to himself created nature personally: the Word of God taking on soul and flesh.'"  

     After all the presents are unwrapped and all the feasting is done on this day, we may realize that the most important aspect of the day is love in the person of our families and friends.  That is the greatest gift and it has its greatest expression in God's love for us which we then give to others.  God's self-giving and our self-giving must be united and shared.  The presents will be taken away and the tree put on the curb and the decorations put back in the attic, but maybe we could leave the manger scene up for awhile - at least until after Epiphany (or even all year?) as a reminder that putting skin on love is "the reason for the season" and this season can be made real all year long!  Merry Christmas!  AMEN

  [NOTE TO THE BELOVED CONGREGATION The celebration of the Nativity of the Lord [Christmas] presents a preacher with considerable challenge.  There are three separate sets of scriptures depending on the time of the liturgical celebration.  I had to make a choice for this reflection and since I will be celebrating the Eucharist in the morning (and not at Midnight!), I have chosen that set of scriptures.  Adventuresome readers can go to my website at <www.rbwords.com> and use the search mechanism to discover what I have written about the other scriptures in the past.  Merry Christmas!]