Advent Daily Devotionals: The Word Became Flesh: CHRISTMAS DAY

THE WORD BECAME FLESH

December 25^th - Christmas Day 2018

First Reading, Isaiah 52:7-10
Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6
Second Reading, Hebrews 1:1-6

Gospel, John 1:1-18

First Reading, Isaiah 52:7-10

How beautiful on the mountains, are the feet of the messenger announcing peace, of the messenger of good news, who proclaims salvation and says to Zion, 'Your God is king!'

The voices of your watchmen! Now they raise their voices, shouting for joy together, for with their own eyes they have seen Yahweh returning to Zion.

Break into shouts together, shouts of joy, you ruins of Jerusalem; for Yahweh has consoled his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.

Yahweh has bared his holy arm for all the nations to see, and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6

Sing a new song to Yahweh, for he has performed wonders, his saving power is in his right hand and his holy arm.

Yahweh has made known his saving power, revealed his saving justice for the nations to see, mindful of his faithful love and his constancy to the House of Israel. The whole wide world has seen the saving power of our God.

Acclaim Yahweh, all the earth, burst into shouts of joy!

Play to Yahweh on the harp, to the sound of instruments; to the sound of trumpet and horn, acclaim the presence of the King.

Second Reading, Hebrews 1:1-6

At many moments in the past and by many means, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our time, the final days, he has spoken to us in the person of his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things and through whom he made the ages.

He is the reflection of God's glory and bears the impress of God's own being, sustaining all things by his powerful command; and now that he has purged sins away, he has taken his seat at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high.

So he is now as far above the angels as the title which he has inherited is higher than their own name.

To which of the angels, then, has God ever said: You are my Son, today I have fathered you, or: I shall be a father to him and he a son to me?

Again, when he brings the First-born into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God pay him homage.

Gospel, John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being except through him. What has come into being in him was life, life that was the light of men; and light shines in darkness, and darkness could not overpower it.

A man came, sent by God. His name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness to the light, so that everyone might believe through him. He was not the light, he was to bear witness to the light.

The Word was the real light that gives light to everyone; he was coming into the world. He was in the world that had come into being through him, and the world did not recognise him.

He came to his own and his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believed in his name who were born not from human stock or human desire or human will but from God himself.

The Word became flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that he has from the Father as only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

John witnesses to him. He proclaims: 'This is the one of whom I said: He who comes after me has passed ahead of me because he existed before me.'

Indeed, from his fullness we have, all of us, received -- one gift replacing another, for the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ.

No one has ever seen God; it is the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.

Writer’s Reflection - A Special Advent Devotional from Bethlehem

Crowded streets. Crowds of Christians arriving for the occasion. A surprising amount of Muslims. The Islamic call to prayer and the Christian church bells ringing. Locals calling eagerly as you walk past their stalls on the narrow windy streets. The smell of falafels and shawarma. Camera crews setting up as you walk into the Church of the Nativity. Crowds and a big long queue. Incense and candles. Some waiting... and finally, the star that marks the spot where the Jesus was born.

What a privilege it is for me to write to you from Bethlehem here on Christmas Day; it is truly a day of great joy. Over 2000 years ago in the place I now stand, history changed its course in the most dramatic and scandalous way you could conceive. God, whom man only grasped at, revealed Himself by a supreme act of humility and took flesh to become one of us. He came as Jesus Christ, who is "the reflection of God's glory and bears the stamp of God's own being". Not only did God empty himself to the extreme to be born as a little new born baby of a virgin, it was also through becoming man that he redeemed our fallen humanity, in our place.

Over the last week I have journeyed with Jesus on his earthly life like never before. I ran along the streets of his home town of Nazareth, I manovered the market stalls of Jerusalem and finally, I too, like the shepherds and Magi, visited the place where in a manger once lay the very Word made flesh. It has been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life and although I am here in Bethlehem now, I have increasingly been aware of a deeper, more profound journey, one that is the most spectacular of all, one that you too are walking; the journey of life.

That, most special night, which is still one of the biggest, most looked forward to holidays in the world: the word became flesh. Today’s Gospel reading from John is possibly one of the most profound writings we have, which reveal to us the mind of God and the truth of Jesus Christ.  

“In the beginning was the Word: the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning…The Word was the real light that gives light to everyone; he was coming into the world. He was in the world that had come into being through him, and the world did not recognise him”

How beautiful it is to realise the depths of which God desired to communicate with humankind as we go through our life's journey. As we are reminded in today’s second reading, God previously spoke to our ancestors through the prophets, but His ultimate plan was to speak to us so intimately through Jesus; who was there; waiting for us from the beginning of Creation in an incomprehensible and divine way.

Yet how heart-breaking it is to see that even then; this Saviour that longed to become flesh with us was not recognised, accepted, or loved by His own children. And despite this, He kept on loving – even till death on a cross – a knowledge that God knew and chose out of love for us from the very start.

When we look around the world, especially on this very Christmas Day, Jesus is still softly waiting in the midst. Waiting for people to open their eyes to the truth, to open the eyes to the meaning of Christmas, and to open their hearts to Him.

But despite the darkness of this world – there is still hope – and the truth of Jesus will always shine brighter. "In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." One of my favourite quotes is from St Francis of Assisi "All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle". Truly, the light that Jesus brings by His presence cannot be overcome or put out, and by His life He has given us life too. The darkness of not knowing how to live, love and be free; the darkness of death and suffering, has been put to contrast with the most perfect of lights. This moment we now celebrate is when that light first shone among us.

So how can we shine? We are told in today’s Gospel that Jesus gave of his fullness of light through "grace and truth". We must BELIEVE and ACCEPT the TRUTH in our intellect that Jesus is God incarnate. Born of the Virgin's womb to redeem humanity, we must RECEIVE the GRACE in our hearts that Jesus wishes to give us. For God never ceases to give; it is our hearts that are often unwilling or hesitant to accept His generosity. We are invited to receive Jesus in grace and truth - and if accepted, our lives will shine with the fullness they were created for.

Life is indeed a journey, and our goal is to be united with God in heaven. This Christmas, let’s get closer to the infant Jesus, and start preparing for eternal joy now by inviting Him into our hearts and seeing Him in everyone around us. We were in darkness, but Light Himself has ignited us; and we should burn as a fire of His love. This is the true meaning of Christmas, and let this Christmas be one in which you bear witness to it.

Today, in Bethlehem, I am praying for all you reading this reflection. May Our Lord bless you abundantly! Have a Happy and Holy Christmas – God bless you!

Prayer Reflection:

Sweetest Child Jesus, as you lay in your Mother’s arms, I entrust myself to You who are my light and love.

Born so small and frail although you are God, I give everything to you, so that I may be as dependant as you were in those first moments.

Come into my heart sweet Child Jesus and make my heart one with your own!

Help me accept everything you wish to give me, especially give me grace and truth.

Mary, Mother of the Child Jesus, Pray for me!

St Joseph, Pray for me! Holy Family of Nazareth, pray for me!

Writer's Bio: Luca McQuillan

Hey :) My name is Luca and I am half Scottish/Hungarian. I study Catholic theology and my aim is to work for the salvation of souls in whatever way God asks of me. I love adventures in any shape or form, travelling, people, art, rollerblading, climbing, swimming and even studying among many other things. Most recently I spent the past year in the St Andrew’s community in Aberdeen, Scotland.

My message to any readers would be, to live life to the full! By this you glorify God! “The glory of God is man fully alive” (CCC 294). God gave you this precious gift and there’s so much you can do if you abandon everything to Him. There is great truth in Jesus words “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.”

Your life is full when it is lived for God, and this pleases him greatly – so don’t let anything hold you back!! :D