Dr. Fr. Davis George
In July 1969,
Neil Armstrong and his two fellow astronauts set off on the longest journey
ever undertaken by man. Their target was a quarter of a million miles away. The
eyes of the whole world were upon them as they took off for our nearest neighbour
in space – the moon. They landed on the part of the moon known as the Sea of Tranquility
Today we
celebrate the mystery of the incarnation – God becoming man, journey from
heaven to earth, the coming of Jesus, the Son of God, into our world. The birth
of Jesus is depicted in the Bible as follows: “And Joseph also went up from
Galilee, from the city of Nazareth to Judea, to
the city of David , which is called Bethlehem , because he was
of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who
was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be
delivered and she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling
clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the
inn. And in that region there were shepherds out in the field keeping watch
over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the
glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear and the
angel said to them, be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great
joy which will come to all the people for to you is born this day in the city
of David a savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you
will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying – Glory to God in the
Highest and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased”(Lk 2:4-14). He was born of a humble maid, at a time when
communications was slow, and in a small country that was no sea of tranquility
but the scene of constant strife. Only a handful of people knew about his
coming.
Yet, we still
talk about it and celebrate it. The Incarnation is the greatest moment in the
history of the world. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were
made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made, in him
was life, and the life was the light of men, the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it… He came to his own home, and his own
received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he
gave power to become children of God... And the Word became flesh and dwelt
among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the
only Son from the Father” (Jn1:1-5, 11-12, 14). As a result of it, things have
never been the same. The importance of the Incarnation has been recognized by
artists, poets, and writers down the ages.
In the
Incarnation we recognize God’s love for us. “For God so loved the world that He
gave His only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have
eternal life” (Jn 3:16). Though Christ came among us weak and empty-handed, he
brought us priceless and everlasting gifts. He came to teach us that we are not
specks of dust, but sons and daughters of the heavenly Father, destined for
eternal glory. Though he was rich, he made himself poor so that we all may
become rich in God’s sight.
There was a
teacher who was very fond of giving instructions, directions, criticisms, and
corrections. Just after he got married he taught his wife how to wash dishes,
because he didn’t think she did it the right way. And his way of teaching her
was to have her re-wash every dish and she had already washed under his
supervision. Instead of giving her an example by doing it himself, he gave her
advice and instructions. This is not how Jesus did it. “Christ Jesus, who,
though was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness
of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient
unto death, even death on a Cross” (Phil.2:6-8).
As Son of God,
Jesus shares the same divine nature as the Father and the Holy Spirit. But, in
the Incarnation he took on himself our nature which is weak, fragile and
subject to sin and death. In it he overcame sin, evil, and death. Because the
battle was fought and won in our nature, we are able to profit from it. And he
doesn’t demand anything of us that he hasn’t done himself. There you have the
Incarnation. That’s the pattern of redemption. God entered our world on our
terms. He wanted to feel the grief of our humanity and to show us the greatness
of it. Now we have a God who understands us when we speak to him about our
pain. But he is a God who will not allow us to wallow in it. He will not be satisfied
until he demanded the best of us.
The Son of God
came to earth to share in our humanity so that we might share in his divinity.
‘They wrapped the baby in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger.’ From
these lovely origins Jesus grew up to show us the greatness of our humanity. The
joy of this day fills our hearts and the whole world. Christ leads us on a far
more daring journey than that of the moon-men – the journey to the kingdom of
eternal life.
The longest
journey is the journey inwards. God wants to be born in us, in our hearts. “The
voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his
paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall
be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough ways shall
be made smooth and all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (Lk. 3:4-6). To have Jesus born in our hearts we need to
prepare the way of the Lord by leveling the mountain of pride and selfishness
and by filling the valley of self pity with confidence and trust in the Lord
and his words. We need to make our heart pure from within and fill it with love
and then only Jesus can be born in our hearts. The longest journey is the
journey inwards. Merry Christmas. May Jesus fill your heart with his love, joy
and peace each day of 2010.
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