Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord – Luke 1:45 Two unlikely pregnant women could not be found. Mary was very young and had never experienced conjugal intimacy. Elizabeth, she was far too old. Yet each woman listened to the voice of God speaking through an angel and her heart quickened with life. Their response came with no guarantees that their babies would be beautiful of that their status in life might be improved. They left the details to God. Each bore a child that grew into an adulthood few understood. Their trust changed our world. We, too are unlikely choices in so many ways. Who are we to be entrusted with the continuation of God’s work? Yet we have heard the whisper of God’s voice in our hearts and we responded. Our hearts throb with God’s life and with vision. We stand on the threshold of something “new,” yet what the “new” is has yet to be born. There are no guarantees that the “new” will coincide with our personal visions or that the vision will be comfortable. We must leave the details to God. We trust. We trust. Mary Hughes, OP in Behold I am Doing Something New
For two thousand years, generation after generation of Christians have pronounced the name of Bethlehem with deep emotion and joyful gratitude. Like the shepherds and the wise men, we too have come to find the Child, ‘wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger’ (Lk 2:12). Like so many pilgrims before us, we kneel in wonder and adoration before the ineffable mystery which was accomplished here. At the dawn f the new millennium, we are called to see more clearly that time has meaning because here Eternity entered history and remains with us forever. The silence and poverty of the birth in Bethlehem are one with the darkness and pain of the death of Calvary. The Crib and the Cross are the same mystery of redemptive love; the body which Mary laid in a manger is the same body offered up on the Cross. In the cave of Bethlehem….’God’s grace has been revealed’ (Titus 2:11). In the Child who is born, the world has received ‘the mercy promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever’ (Lk 1:54-55). Dazzled by the mystery of the Eternal Word made flesh, we leave all fear behind and we become like the angels, glorifying God who gives the world such gifts. John Paul II in Pope John Paul II by Jack Wintz
For what the law was powerless to do… God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering— Romans 8:3 Have you ever really pondered the meaning of Christmas? Was it just God’s attempt to give us a good example to show us the ay to live? Was it simply the birth of a great teacher? Did that innocent little bundle of flesh and blood in the feeding trough really hold the answer for us all? We can never fully understand the depths of all of God’s mysteries, but we can understand a lot. He has revealed His purposes to us, so we know why Jesus was sent to this broken planet. God demonstrated for centuries that the human condition could ot be fixed by humans. It could not even be repaired by an external work of God. No, there had to be a sacrifice to pay the price; there had to be a person to live the life; and it had to e perfect on both counts. Only God could do that. He clothed Himself in flesh to die. He was raised to live, and He put His Spirit within us. He doesn’t just give us life; He is our life. Christmas is our assurance: Jesus cam in our likeness to die our death, and He came in God’s likeness to live our life. In Him, the image of God and the image of human meet. And ow He lets them meet in us. Chris Tiegreen in The One Year Walk with God
CHRISTMAS
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us—John 1:14 What was in the mind of God when He send His Son to live with us? Was it frustration over all of His failed attempts to get people to behave correctly? Was it because the Law did not do what it was suppose to do? Was the spoken Word so lacking that, in a last-ditch effort, God tried turning the spoken Word into the living Word? We know, of course , that the Incarnation was not a last-ditch effort. It was the plan from the beginning. What does it mean to you? When you read your Bible, does it make a difference that the Word is not just telling you what to do, but offering to re-create the fundamental nature of your spirit?
Sr. Agnes Paul, SSpS
REFLECTIONS
Some people would prefer a distant God who will leave them alone until requested to show up. The God who became flesh has so much better in store for us. Yes, sometimes it feels a little too personal—there’s sin and obedience to deal with. But ultimately, we appreciate it. We’re flesh and we need to relate to flesh. The Word knew that, so Jesus came to dwell. Chris Tiegreen in The One Year Walk with God
But in order to understand what took place in Nazareth two thousand years ago, we must return to the Reading from the Letter to the Hebrews. That text enables us, as it were, to listen to a conversation between the Father and the Son concerning God’s purpose for all eternity. [The Son is saying to the Father:] ‘You, who wanted no sacrifice or oblation, prepared a body for me. You took no pleasure in holocausts or sacrifices for sin.’ Then I said, ‘God, here I am! I am coming to obey your will’ (10:5 -7). The Letter to the Hebrews is telling us that, in obedience to the Father’s will, the Eternal Word comes among us to offer the sacrifice which surpasses all sacrifices offered under the former Covenant. His is the eternal and perfect sacrifice which redeems the world. John Paul II in Pope John Paul II by Jack Wintz
Questions for reflection: Is your life centered on Christ? Is Christ your model? Is Christ your source of meaning, power and life? What is the meaning of the Incarnation for you? Do you sense its transformative power in the world you inhabit an din your own human nature? How do you bring Christ’s presence into the world? Which fears keep you from following God more closely? How can mindfulness of God’s presence inspire you to overcome your fears? Jack Wintz, OFM in Pope John Paul II