20141227 RECOGNIZING THE DIVINE IN THE INFANT JESUS
Readings at Mass
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First reading
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1 John 1:1-4 ©
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Something which has
existed since the beginning,
that we have heard,
and we have seen with
our own eyes;
that we have watched
and touched with our
hands:
the Word, who is
life –
this is our subject.
That life was made
visible:
we saw it and we are
giving our testimony,
telling you of the
eternal life
which was with the
Father and has been made visible to us.
What we have seen and
heard
we are telling you
so that you too may
be in union with us,
as we are in union
with the Father
and with his Son
Jesus Christ.
We are writing this
to you to make our own joy complete.
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Psalm
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Psalm
96:1-2,5-6,11-12 ©
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Rejoice, you just,
in the Lord.
The Lord is king, let
earth rejoice,
let all
the coastlands be glad.
Cloud and darkness
are his raiment;
his
throne, justice and right.
Rejoice, you just,
in the Lord.
The mountains melt
like wax
before
the Lord of all the earth.
The skies proclaim
his justice;
all
peoples see his glory.
Rejoice, you just,
in the Lord.
Light shines forth
for the just
and joy
for the upright of heart.
Rejoice, you just, in
the Lord;
give
glory to his holy name.
Rejoice, you just,
in the Lord.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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cf.Te Deum
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Alleluia, alleluia!
We praise you, O God,
we acknowledge you to
be the Lord.
The glorious company
of the apostles praise you, O Lord.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 20:2-8 ©
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On the first day of
the week Mary of Magdala came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple,
the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and
we don’t know where they have put him.’
So
Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but
the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent
down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon
Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen
cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was
not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other
disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed.
RECOGNIZING
THE DIVINE IN THE INFANT JESUS
SCRIPTURE
READINGS: 1 JOHN 1:1-4; PSALM 96; JOHN 20:2-8
We are
still in the Octave of Christmas contemplating on the gift of God’s love in
Christ. The birth of Jesus is but the beginning of the experience
of God’s love. Christmas has no meaning unless seen in the context of
Christ’s life on earth, in His ministry, passion, death and resurrection.
It is from this perspective that the gospel is to be read today. We have
the story of the disciples of Jesus who went to the tomb to look for the
crucified Lord. Their love for the Lord was still on a human level.
It was on the level of the incarnation. Indeed, this love for God is made
concrete in Jesus. As St John wrote in the first reading, “Something
which has existed since the beginning, that we have heard and we have seen with
our own eyes; that we have watched and touched with our hands: the Word, who is
life – this is our subject.”
The love of God however
must be more than just an abstract philosophical love. The love that St John speaks
about is not a theoretical love of God but a concrete love in a person called
Jesus who reveals the Father’s love to us. When St John says that God is
love (1 Jn 4: 8,16), he is saying that God is essentially love. All that
God does is out of love and with love. So Christmas is a reminder that we
come to know God’s love in a human manner. Concretely, it means
that we encounter Jesus as a person and through others.
Whilst we cannot discount
the importance of encountering the Lord on the human level, yet, the danger is
that we can be so rooted in the past and on the human Jesus that we never go
beyond to the divine Lord through faith. Indeed, Mary of Magdala was
so bent on looking for the Lord in the garden. So, too, Peter set
out to look for the Lord Jesus but could not find Him. All he saw was the
linen cloths lying on the ground and the cloth that had been over His
head. However, there was no indication that they believed. Hence,
in our contemplation of the birth of Christ, we must go beyond the baby Jesus
to see in Him the Christ and the Saviour of the world. John wrote, “What
we have seen, heard, and touched we proclaim as the word of life which existed
“from the beginning” (1 John 1:1-4). This means that since Jesus existed
from the beginning, He was always from God.
How, then, can we see
Christ as more than merely man but the Son of God? We are to learn from the beloved
disciple who saw and believed. How was he able to see and believe whereas
the others could not? They all saw the same signs, but without faith one
cannot see the Risen Lord. Indeed, in the resurrection story, the
announcement by the angel that ‘He is not here’ does not justify His
resurrection. Only faith could say He is risen. This faith in
Christ as the Risen Lord and therefore as the Son of God could only be
perceived by love. Love enables one to see what reason cannot.
Faith requires the heart of love. Indeed, St John, being the beloved
disciple, perceived the Lord as risen through the signs in faith immediately
through love. He wrote, “That life was made visible: we saw it and we are
giving our testimony, telling you of the eternal life which was with the Father
and has been made visible to us.”
Indeed, our faith in the
infant Jesus must rise beyond this level to a deeper level of the paschal
mystery. We must worship not just the baby Jesus. This “word of life”
is not only Jesus the word incarnate, but the crucified and Risen Lord.
Indeed, if Jesus had not risen from the dead and manifested to His disciples,
there would be no Christmas. Only because of the resurrection, did the lives
of the disciples change and were filled with joy and courage. The
resurrection remains the central fact of Christian belief. Through the
gift of the Holy Spirit, and through the eyes of faith, we encounter the living
Christ today in a real and personal way, especially in the Word of God and the
Eucharist.
What is the basis of
this faith if not in our relationship with the Lord? John could recognize the signs that the
Lord is risen because of his love for Him. Only those who are in
fellowship with the Lord could surrender in trust. Love is the eyes of
faith. Love enables us to see what reason cannot. That is why St
John who lies on the bosom of Jesus could recognize the signs of His
presence. St Stephen on the other hand, recognized Him in his suffering.
And the outcome of this relationship is one of joy and security. With
this love, we can overcome all problems.
However, this faith
through love is also made possible through Christian fellowship. “What we have seen and heard we
are telling you so that you too may be in union with us, as we are in union
with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” Some of us are not able
to have faith in God directly but through the faith of others and especially
through their love, their eyes are gradually open to faith. Indeed,
Christian fellowship is critical to faith. No one grows in faith without
the community. Christian faith is an ecclesial faith.
To be loved by the Lord
and to love Him is indeed a great privilege. That God would become man for us and
died for us is truly a great honor. That is why St Augustine wrote, “Wake
up, O Man – it was for you that God was made man!” He has freed us from
darkness, sin and bondages. Had it not been for Him, we would have
continued to live in misery and hopelessness. Had it not been for Him, we
would have remained dead in our sins. For our sake, He became man to
redeem us. Only because of Christ, we are justified by faith through
grace. Because of Him, the truth has set us free. With truth, comes
true love and peace. Indeed, St Augustine remarked, “For what greater
grace could have dawned upon us from God, than that he, who had only one Son,
made him the son of man, and so in turn made the son of a man of God. As
yourself whether this involved any merit, any motivation, any right on your
part; and see whether you find anything but grace!”
Hence, with this so
great a privilege comes the responsibility as well. As
recipients of God’s love, we are now called to be witnesses of Christ’s love to
others. “What we have seen and heard we are telling you so that you too may be
in union with us, as we are in union with the Father and with his Son Jesus
Christ. We are writing this to you to make our own joy complete.” Indeed,
those who have encountered the love of God must now announce to others.
Such was the joy of the early Christians who encountered the Risen Lord, and
contemplating on His love for us on the cross could not but desire to spread
this love to all of humanity.
We are called to stay
with Jesus as John did, spending our whole life in giving witness to Him. Let us glorify Him by living a
glorified life in Christ. Let us live as redeemed men and women,
otherwise no one would believe that He is our redeemer and savior. Whether we
witness to Him in death, as in case of St Stephen, or in a long life of
martyrdom, as in St John, all are called to witness to Christ’s love through
death. Let us therefore continue to celebrate Christmas by giving Christ
to others through our love for them and inviting them to fellowship with us so
that they too can come to fellowship with the Father through Christ. In
this way, our joy is increased and complete.
WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV
WILLIAM GOH
ARCHBISHOP
OF SINGAPORE
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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