HomiliesCHRISTMAS: MASS DURING THE DAYJn 1:1-18THE GOSPEL PASSAGE that we heard today is very deep, and for some, it cannot be understood easily. In last night’s mass (mass during the night) the gospel was about the how or the manner of Jesus birth. We may call it the historical aspect of the Jesus’ birth. It involves people, time and place. In contrast, the gospel today is taken from John’s gospel. It is deep because it is theological. John explains to us theologically the meaning of the birth of Jesus.
Let us try to understand the theological reflections of St John. This whole passage in John has been called as The Prologue.
First, John describes Christ as the eternal Word of God. Again, the passage reads, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”
Here, John explains that Jesus is the eternal Word of God. As such, he was with God and he is God. In other words, the birth of Jesus into this world was not the beginning of his existence. His life did not begin from there. Rather, before Jesus became man, he already existed as God, he existed with the Father from the beginning. His incarnation or his birth into this world was not meant to be for he is God, but he did that for a purpose. That is, to save us.
Secondly, John describes Christ as the Creator. The passage says, “All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.” Again, this looks something deep. What John tells us is that Jesus is not only the Word of God, but he is also the Creator of the world and the universe. We usually attribute the work of creation to God the Father. In fact, we call him as God the Creator. But here John is also giving us another truth. That the world was created by the Word. Christ is the Creator. Though Christ, all things came to be or came to exist.
But what has happened now to the earth, world or universe created by Christ? The earth is now in its sorry state. For this, Pope Francis wrote his second encyclical, Laudato Si. In this encyclical, the Pope “urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation that includes everyone, since the environment challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all” (14). Indeed, the world leaders have done something to address the urgent ecological concerns and challenges. The people are becoming more aware of this fact.
Thirdly, John describes Christ as Light. The passage further says, “What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”. The theme on light has been prevalent in the Old Testament, more particularly in the prophecy of Isaiah. With the birth of Jesus, the prophecy of Isaiah has been fulfilled. Indeed, Christ is the Light of the World.
Light has something to do with darkness. And light can be appreciated in the moment of darkness. Let us take the moon as an example. The beauty of the moon can only be appreciated at nighttime. We don’t appreciate the moon during daytime. In many ways, we can say that the world that we live is in darkness. What makes the world dark is the value or the values that the world espouses. The forces of evil make the world dark. The Godlessness, killings, wars... these are some of the examples of the situation of darkness. Christ the Light brings meaning to people who distance themselves from God. Christ the Light brings an end to killings because of his teaching on the value of human life. Christ the Light brings an end to wars as he brings peace and he is the Prince of Peace. So, Christ as Light is our inspiration and guide. The candles and lights of Christmas should always remind us of Christ. Let us allow Christ to shine always in our midst.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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