Saturday, 24 December 2016

THE GRACE OF GOD REVEALED IN THE INCARNATION TRANSFORMS US

20161225 THE GRACE OF GOD REVEALED IN THE INCARNATION TRANSFORMS US

Isaiah 9:1-7
1 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; on the inhabitants of a country in shadow dark as death light has blazed forth.
2 You have enlarged the nation, you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at harvest time, as they exult when they are dividing the spoils.
3 For the yoke that weighed on it, the bar across its shoulders, the rod of its oppressor, these you have broken as on the day of Midian.
4 For all the footgear clanking over the ground and all the clothing rolled in blood, will be burnt, will be food for the flames.
5 For a son has been born for us, a son has been given to us, and dominion has been laid on his shoulders; and this is the name he has been given, 'Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace'
6 to extend his dominion in boundless peace, over the throne of David and over his kingdom to make it secure and sustain it in fair judgement and integrity. From this time onwards and for ever, the jealous love of Yahweh Sabaoth will do this.
7 The Lord has launched a word at Jacob and it has fallen on Israel;

Psalms 95:1-3, 11-13
1 Come, let us cry out with joy to Yahweh, acclaim the rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving, acclaim him with music.
3 For Yahweh is a great God, a king greater than all the gods.

Titus 2:11-14
11 You see, God's grace has been revealed to save the whole human race;
12 it has taught us that we should give up everything contrary to true religion and all our worldly passions; we must be self-restrained and live upright and religious lives in this present world,
13 waiting in hope for the blessing which will come with the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Christ Jesus.
14 He offered himself for us in order to ransom us from all our faults and to purify a people to be his very own and eager to do good.

Luke 2:1-14
1 Now it happened that at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be made of the whole inhabited world.
2 This census -- the first -- took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria,
3 and everyone went to be registered, each to his own town.
4 So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee for Judaea, to David's town called Bethlehem, since he was of David's House and line,
5 in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
6 Now it happened that, while they were there, the time came for her to have her child,
7 and she gave birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the living-space.
8 In the countryside close by there were shepherds out in the fields keeping guard over their sheep during the watches of the night.
9 An angel of the Lord stood over them and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified,
10 but the angel said, 'Do not be afraid. Look, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people.
11 Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
12 And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.'
13 And all at once with the angel there was a great throng of the hosts of heaven, praising God with the words:
14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace for those he favours.

THE GRACE OF GOD REVEALED IN THE INCARNATION TRANSFORMS US

SCRIPTURE READINGS: ISA 9:1-7; PS 95:1-3,11-13; TIT 2:11-14; LK 2:1-14   ]
“The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; on those who live in a land of deep shadow a light has shone.”   This is such wonderful news for all of us.  We too are struggling like the Israelites in exile.  We feel hopeless and discouraged. Nothing seems to be going well.  Our projects do not seem to take off.  We are stuck in situations where there is no solution in sight.  We are trapped in relationships that we cannot get out. Our marriage is not working well in spite of all attempts to repair it. Our relationship with our in-laws and children or siblings do not seem to be getting any better.  We are worried about our financial situation, the prospect of losing our job, our health and medical bills, our studies and exams, or looking after our elderly ones or the sick and home-bound loved ones.  Others find their work so stressful because of politics, injustices and discrimination in the office.  Finally, others are confused as to what it means to live an authentic life.  In all these different ways, we are living in darkness and in the shadow of death.  Even on the eve of Christmas, our hearts are heavy and deep within us, we feel sad and disheartened.  We cannot feel the joy and peace of Christmas. What is there to celebrate?
What hope is there for us? Can we see some light at the end of the tunnel?  Christ is the light of the World.  The little light that appeared as a star in the sky has become the radiant light of God’s glory.   St Paul says, “We are waiting in hope for the blessing which will come with the Appearing of the glory of our great God and savior.” Christmas is the celebration of light.  Christ is the light for humanity.  He is the one that lights up the darkness around us, symbolizing the beginning of new life and hope.
How is Jesus the light, that is, the revelation of divine grace?  St Paul wrote, “God’s grace has been revealed, and it has made salvation possible for the whole human race.”   The grace of God refers to His mercy and love for us.  The wonderful message of Christmas is that “a child born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace. Wide is his dominion in a peace that has no end, for the throne of David and for his royal power, which he establishes and makes secure in justice and integrity.”   The coming of the Messiah fulfills this revelation of God’s grace for us.
In the first place, Jesus is the light of hope for us because Christmas celebrates the Emmanuel, the presence of God among men.  It is an unbelievable and amazing claim that God has become man.  The almighty God has taken flesh upon Himself.  In assuming our humanity, God is now one with us.  As scripture tells us, He is like us in all things but sin (Heb 4:15).  Because He knows our weaknesses and our temptations, our pains and our struggles we can therefore “with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”  (Heb 4:15f)   So we can no longer say that God is far away from us.  As such, we are not alone in our struggles and in our pains.  The Son of God who took our sins and infirmities in His body is identified with us.  He empathizes with us.
Secondly, Jesus is our Light and Hope because He is the Wonder-Counsellor.  He is the One who reveals to us the mysteries of God.  Jesus said, “All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”  (Mt 11:27)  Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father, but by me.”  (Jn 14:6)
So if we want to find meaning in life, Christ is the answer to every mystery and riddle of life.  He is the authentic and perfect man for all to model after.  The birth of Christ is meant to enlighten us, to give us the light of hope and life, but provided we are ready to be purified so that we “could be his very own and would have no ambition except to do good.”  He reveals to us that life is meant to be lived for God and for others.  We find meaning in life only when we become like Him, a life-giver to others through our acts of love, mercy and compassion for those who are suffering and for sinners as well.  He reveals to us that love and life triumph in the end over hatred and death.  If we have lost our direction and meaning in life, we must come to Him in prayer and contemplate on how our Lord lived and died for us.  His entire life reveals to us the meaning of life, suffering, death and our final destiny.
Thirdly, Jesus is our light and hope because He reveals to us the Eternal Father as the mighty-God.  Very often people misunderstand the power of God.  They say that God is omnipotent and He can do whatever He likes.  This is true but not quite accurate.   He is almighty more in love and mercy.  He does not use power like us to control people’s life and dominate them.  He uses His almighty power to allow us to be free to choose and to love. God is almighty in love, mercy and compassion.  The power of God in Christ is shown in weakness.  This is especially so in the incarnation.  At Christmas, we see Jesus the King of Kings being born in a manager, in a stable.  He came to live amongst us, not showing forth His glory but in His human weakness in the form of a little baby.  Most of all, the power of God in human lowliness is seen in the passion, death and resurrection of Christ.
Fourthly, Jesus is the light of the world because He is the Prince of Peace.    Peace is made “secure in justice and integrity”, says the prophet.  Many of us cannot find peace in this world because we are not living a life of justice and integrity.  We are living sinful and evil lives.  We are cheating, slandering and depriving others of their rights and dignity.  We ill-treat our workers and fail to show them respect and appreciation.  We must never forget that workers are human beings and they need rest as well.  Conversely, workers sometimes do not earn an honest living by doing their work properly. At home, we are irresponsible towards our family members.  We make use of our friends and colleagues to get what we want.  Often, we lack integrity.  When that happens, it means we are not at peace within, which is then manifested in our actions towards our fellowmen.
Thus, peace must come from God first and foremost.  If we find that we are evil and divisive, it is because there is no peace in our hearts.  If we want to restore peace and reconciliation in the world, the primary reconciliation is with God.  Only God can give us that inner peace in our hearts.  When that union with God is broken, man lives only for himself and makes himself the source of everything.  He becomes insecure, selfish and self-centered.  This can be seen throughout the history of salvation, from Adam and Eve to Cain and Abel, to the Tower of Babel, throughout the era of Moses and the prophets.  For that reason, Christ is our peace.  In Christ, we come to know that peace comes from forgiveness, mercy and love. He has come to reconcile us with God so that we can be reconciled within ourselves and among ourselves.  In Jesus, we see the mercy and love of God the Father.  Peace begins with God and then with us before it can be given to others.  Hence, the song, “Let there be peace on earth but let it begin with me!”
Today, as we celebrate Christmas, when we reflect on Christ as the grace of God revealed to us, we are called to transform our lives accordingly to be like Christ.  He has “taught us that what we have to do is to give up everything that does not lead to God, and all our worldly ambitions.”  St Paul urges us that “we must be self-restrained and live good and religious lives here in this present world.”  Indeed, in vain is our Christmas celebration if we do not seek to live the life of love and service in humility, doing good by extending His love to others.  We too must sacrifice our lives for our fellowmen.  To celebrate Christmas without changing our lives is to miss the whole point of our celebration.
So let us in celebrating the coming of the light of Christ into the world, radiate His love and presence like the angels.  We are called to be that little light of Christ that shines in all that we say and do.  We are to give hope and encouragement to the world; a hope that is founded in God and in His mercy and love.  With the angel, we must also tell the world, “Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”
This message must first be proclaimed to the poor, materially or spiritually poor, for the first announcement went to the shepherds who were considered the outcasts of society.  Let us go forward and share this good news about Jesus who is the revelation of God, the revelation of God’s grace and mercy by our own lives of love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness.  This would be the best gift we can give to Jesus at this Christmas and to our brothers and sisters, more than all the material gifts we can give.  How sad are those who celebrate Christmas simply by indulging themselves, forgetting that the joy of Christmas is in giving like Jesus and loving those who are suffering because of poverty or sickness or abandonment or loneliness.  Their Christmas cannot last beyond the material celebration.  But for those who have the spirit of Christ in their hearts, the joy of Christmas extends beyond Christmas day to the rest of the year.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved



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