AND THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH

Solemnity of the lord’s Nativity

 

AND THE WoRD WAS mADE flESH

 

“And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” – John 1:14

 

Jesus said, “Go into the whole world and preach the Gospel. St. Paul spent years traveling through western Asia Minor and founded his first Christian church in Philippi. Then he traveled to Thessalonica and then to Greece. Then he finally landed in jail where he continued to preach. The Word made flesh.

Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.” Blessed Teresa of Calcutta took to the streets and lived with the poorest of the poor. She visited families, washed the sores of sick children, cared for old men lying sick on the road and nursed women dying of hunger and TB. The Word made flesh.

Jesus said, “But the greatest among you shall be your servant.” In his lifetime, I saw how my father worked like a horse if only to make sure that none of his children go hungry. He didn’t travel far and wide, didn’t have the luxuries a working man deserved, didn’t even own a car. But in my book, he’s been the best father anyone can have. The Word made flesh. On this Christmas day, let Jesus, the Living Word, be made flesh in you and in me, too. Hermie Morelos

 

REFLECTION:

When people look at my life, will they see the Word made flesh?

 

Lord Jesus, happy birthday! May You be born in my life again as I strive to live according to Your Word.

 

 

the incARnAtiOn   When we reflect on the celebration of Christmas, it is imperative that we remember we are reflecting upon a mystery and so no amount of thought is ever going to fully explain the incarnation to us to our satisfaction. The Second Person of the Trinity, the ever-begotten Son of the Father who is without beginning or end, also takes on human flesh — as if talking about Him was not difficult enough already. How are we supposed to respond to this wonderful mystery which lies at the heart of our salvation? How we respond is up to each of us as individuals and it will depend upon how willing we are to submit our lives, and in particular our minds and hearts, to a mystery. The result of doing this will be a journey into the unknown — the unknown of the mystery of Trinitarian life in whose image we were created in order to be in relationship with God and one another. This sounds rather “heavy,” doesn’t it? Well, it is. However, it does not have to be a mystery only — it can and will be the experience of our faith if we allow it to be. What I mean by this is that the witness of the history of the Church’s understanding of life in relationship with God is drawn from the lives of men and women who have freely chosen to enter into precisely this journey. Where it has led them is a different story for each one of them. Yes, there are familiar characteristics in them all, but each has a unique strand to it as well. Are we up to the challenge? I do not know for you, but I do know that I want to go down this path. Let us pray for one another that we will all be open to the work of the Spirit in our lives so that we will be willing to be led according to the will of God and thus arrive at the true end of our being — eternal life with the Trinity in heaven. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL   Reflection Question: Are you afraid to surrender all to God? You probably should be up to the point of realizing that it is impossible for God to harm you. He always desires the best for us all.   Jesus, help me to surrender to Your call more deeply and so experience Your calling me deeper and deeper into the mystery of the life of the Trinity.   A Blessed Christmas and a faith-filled New Year!