And Lived Among Us

Nativity of our Lord
25 December 2009


Christ has been born for us: come, let us worship him.

First reading Isaiah 52:7-10
How beautiful on the mountains,
are the feet of one who brings good news,
who heralds peace, brings happiness,
proclaims salvation,
and tells Zion,
‘Your God is king!’

Listen! Your watchmen raise their voices,
they shout for joy together,
for they see the Lord face to face,
as he returns to Zion.

Break into shouts of joy together,
you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the Lord is consoling his people,
redeeming Jerusalem.

The Lord bares his holy arm
in the sight of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God.

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 97:1-6

Second reading Hebrews 1:1-6
At various times in the past and in various different ways, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but in our own time, the last days, he has spoken to us through his Son, the Son that he has appointed to inherit everything and through whom he made everything there is. He is the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of his nature, sustaining the universe by his powerful command; and now that he has destroyed the defilement of sin, he has gone to take his place in heaven at the right hand of divine Majesty. So he is now as far above the angels as the title which he has inherited is higher than their own name.

God has never said to any angel: You are my Son, today I have become your father; or: I will 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 worship him.

Gospel John 1:1-18
In the beginning was the Word:
and the Word was with God
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things came to be,
not one thing had its being but through him.
All that came to be had life in him
and that life was the light of men,
a light that shines in the dark,
a light that darkness could not overpower.

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

The Word was the true light
that enlightens all men;
and he was coming into the world.
He was in the world
that had its being through him,
and the world did not know him.
He came to his own domain
and his own people did not accept him.
But to all who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to all who believe in the name of him
who was born not out of human stock
or urge of the flesh
or will of man
but of God himself.
The Word was made flesh,
he lived among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father,
full of grace and truth.

John appears as his witness. He proclaims:
‘This is the one of whom I said:
He who comes after me ranks before me
because he existed before me.’

Indeed, from his fulness we have, all of us, received –
yes, grace in return for grace,
since, though 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 nearest to the Father’s heart,
who has made him known.

Reflection
By Jeanne Therese Hilario-Andres

Nine months, she had waited.

Nine months, a mere flicker in time compared to the entire history of a waiting world. An old, weary world suffering the darkness of sin and separation from its Creator. An anxious, self-destructive world which desired, whether knowingly or not, that which it had never seen, but had only dreamed of — light and salvation. A tired, wounded, waiting world.

But it wasn’t just the world which waited. On the other side of the chasm, a loving Father waited, too. How much He wanted to cross this gulf of sin and scoop up His long-estranged children in His arms! How fervently He yearned to care for them, to reveal Himself to them, to wipe away every tear that had fallen from their eyes, to hold them in His arms and let them know that He loves them, has always loved them, and always will. Relentless, changeless, ageless, the Father waited on the brink, His tender gaze never leaving His children, ready to bridge the abyss that separated them from His love.

The Father waited. The angels waited. Heaven and earth waited. The whole universe waited. Indeed, mankind was never alone in hoping and waiting for this divine birth that would split history in two.

Now, Mary was sure, it was time. The Babe inside her womb knew it was time, and her body miraculously set in motion the intensifying waves of contractions to usher in the birth of this bundle of pure light, of perfect love in human form.

With each tightening, with each push, came a heightened longing to see, touch and hold the child she had carried inside her. For nine months, she had fed him with her own body’s food, nourished him, shared the same bloodstream. For nine months, He had been hidden inside the warmth and protection of her womb. Now, very soon, her Baby would no longer be sheltered in its blessed hiding place, but would at last be one with the world it had come to save. Very soon, the wait would be over. Very soon, the chasm would be bridged. Very soon, all the ends of the earth would see the saving power of God.

A final push, and as creation holds its breath, the Son of God is born. The silence of the night is pierced by His first lungful of air, His first cry. Mary holds him in her trembling arms, speaks His name, and as she looks into His eyes, He becomes silent, seeking the familiar voice He has known from the womb, gazing for the first time at the face He has loved forever. His eyes meet hers, and unable to contain her joy, Jesus’ young mother softly begins to cry. As her tears fall, Mary praises God in her heart for this beautiful child, born to save mankind, entrusted to her for a little while. Joseph dries Mary’s damp cheeks and celebrates quietly, marveling at the wonder of this birth. The angels rejoice! The universe exults! One can almost picture the Father, still standing at the brink of the narrowing chasm, dancing, laughing, wiping away His own tears, saying, “At last, at last, my children, I am with you once more.”

Advent was not just about us waiting for the birth of Jesus; the Lord Himself has been waiting for this moment. The moment when He is, at long last, one with His people. The moment when His children will recognize Him, know Him, and love Him back. The moment when we will realize how much we mean to Him, and how much He has given up to save us.

Today, as we celebrate the birth of our Lord, we hear these words: “The Word was made flesh, and lived among us.” Right now, at this moment, what does this truth mean to you? How does this affect the way you live your life? The choices you make? When you feel alone, alienated, separated from the love of God, reflecting on these words can remind you that by being born as one of us, by living as one of us, by taking on our humanity, Jesus forever tore down the barrier between you and Him. When you feel worthless and insignificant, this truth reminds you of how valuable you are in God’s eyes, that for Jesus, you are worth saving, you are worth coming down to earth for, as a tiny, helpless baby.


Dear Jesus, I want to thank You for coming down to earth to save me. When You chose to be born as a man, You made it possible for me to be reconciled with the Father. You have shared in my humanity in all ways except the darkness of sin, and thus, you can feel how I feel, you know my limitations, you understand my heart. On Your birthday, Lord Jesus, help me to offer my life, my heart, my choices to You, my Saviour. As we celebrate Your birth, may I always remember that You came down from heaven out of love for me. Help me to love You back, Lord, with all my heart, mind, soul and strength. Amen.