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- Jul 13, 2015
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- 19,208
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- Western Australia
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- Catholic
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- Single
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- Yes
This is from a local parish priest, the parish nearest to my home.
Christmas is all about the incarnation. The incarnation means that God's Son came down on earth, took on our human nature in order to confer on us the dignity of children of God. The mystery of the incarnation is a mystery of love. It continues the very heart of the Christian faith. No wonder Christmas is such an important feast.
There is a story about a good and upright man, who had a problem with the incarnation. He could not believe that God's Son became one of us, and was too honest to pretend. So on Christmas Eve, when his wife and children went to church, he stayed at home.
Shortly after his family left, it began to snow. He went to the window to watch it fall. “ If we must have Christmas, ” he thought, “ it ’ s nice to have a white one. ” He went back to his chair by the fireside and began to read his newspaper. A few minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound. It was quickly followed by another, then another.
He thought that someone must be throwing snowballs at his living room window. When he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the storm. They had been caught in the storm and in a desperate search for shelter had tried to fly through his window. “ I can ’ t let these poor creatures lie there and freeze, ” he thought. “ But how can I help them? ” Then he remembered the barn where the children ’ s pony was stabled. It would provide a warm shelter.
He put on his coat and made his way through the snow to the barn. He opened the door wide and turned on a light. But the birds wouldn't come in. “ Food will lure them in, ” he thought. So he hurried back to the house for bread crumbs, which he sprinkled on the snow to make a trail into the barn. To his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs and continued to flop around helplessly in the snow. He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around and waving his arms. They scattered in every direction - except into the warm lighted barn.
“ They find me a strange and terrifying creature, ” he said to himself, “ and I can ’ t seem to think of any way to let them know they can trust me. If only I could be a bird myself for a few minutes, perhaps I could lead them to safety. . . .”
Just at that moment the church bells began to ring. He stood silent for a while, listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. 'The word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.' Then he sank to his knees in the snow. “ Now I do understand, ” he whispered. “ Now I see why You had to do it. ” This is a simple but beautiful way to explain the mystery of Christmas. God came to us that He could lead us to safety and show us a way as the man has intended to do so for the birds in the story.
In Jesus, God drew near to us in person. He became one of us. He lived among us. Jesus is the gift of Christmas. This was no loving 'from distance'. This was loving at close quarters.
God meets us where we are. He took our humanity on himself. This means we don't have to deny or reject our humanity in order to know God. He showed us how to live the fullness of our humanity. Religion and holiness have become very real. They are not merely concerned with the spirit and with heaven, but with the body and the earth.
By becoming a child, completely dependent on human care, God took away the distance between the divine and the human. We are not afraid of a little child.
Jesus has become a Brother to us. What would we do without him? Abstract talk about God can leave us empty. We need God made flesh, human like us, walking our streets, even in our shoes, teaching us the way of God. And that is precisely what we are celebrating this day.
The Son of God comes to us not as a judge but as a saviour. He comes to reveal to us our divine dignity as God's children, and the glory of our eternal destiny in heaven. This is the good news. This is the great joy which the angels announced to the shepherds, and which is announced to us today. Let us open our hearts to receive it.
Have a blessed Christmas.
Christmas is all about the incarnation. The incarnation means that God's Son came down on earth, took on our human nature in order to confer on us the dignity of children of God. The mystery of the incarnation is a mystery of love. It continues the very heart of the Christian faith. No wonder Christmas is such an important feast.
There is a story about a good and upright man, who had a problem with the incarnation. He could not believe that God's Son became one of us, and was too honest to pretend. So on Christmas Eve, when his wife and children went to church, he stayed at home.
Shortly after his family left, it began to snow. He went to the window to watch it fall. “ If we must have Christmas, ” he thought, “ it ’ s nice to have a white one. ” He went back to his chair by the fireside and began to read his newspaper. A few minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound. It was quickly followed by another, then another.
He thought that someone must be throwing snowballs at his living room window. When he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the storm. They had been caught in the storm and in a desperate search for shelter had tried to fly through his window. “ I can ’ t let these poor creatures lie there and freeze, ” he thought. “ But how can I help them? ” Then he remembered the barn where the children ’ s pony was stabled. It would provide a warm shelter.
He put on his coat and made his way through the snow to the barn. He opened the door wide and turned on a light. But the birds wouldn't come in. “ Food will lure them in, ” he thought. So he hurried back to the house for bread crumbs, which he sprinkled on the snow to make a trail into the barn. To his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs and continued to flop around helplessly in the snow. He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around and waving his arms. They scattered in every direction - except into the warm lighted barn.
“ They find me a strange and terrifying creature, ” he said to himself, “ and I can ’ t seem to think of any way to let them know they can trust me. If only I could be a bird myself for a few minutes, perhaps I could lead them to safety. . . .”
Just at that moment the church bells began to ring. He stood silent for a while, listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. 'The word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.' Then he sank to his knees in the snow. “ Now I do understand, ” he whispered. “ Now I see why You had to do it. ” This is a simple but beautiful way to explain the mystery of Christmas. God came to us that He could lead us to safety and show us a way as the man has intended to do so for the birds in the story.
In Jesus, God drew near to us in person. He became one of us. He lived among us. Jesus is the gift of Christmas. This was no loving 'from distance'. This was loving at close quarters.
God meets us where we are. He took our humanity on himself. This means we don't have to deny or reject our humanity in order to know God. He showed us how to live the fullness of our humanity. Religion and holiness have become very real. They are not merely concerned with the spirit and with heaven, but with the body and the earth.
By becoming a child, completely dependent on human care, God took away the distance between the divine and the human. We are not afraid of a little child.
Jesus has become a Brother to us. What would we do without him? Abstract talk about God can leave us empty. We need God made flesh, human like us, walking our streets, even in our shoes, teaching us the way of God. And that is precisely what we are celebrating this day.
The Son of God comes to us not as a judge but as a saviour. He comes to reveal to us our divine dignity as God's children, and the glory of our eternal destiny in heaven. This is the good news. This is the great joy which the angels announced to the shepherds, and which is announced to us today. Let us open our hearts to receive it.
Have a blessed Christmas.
