Make Christmas present to all you meet

December 25, 2005 -- Christmas

By Bishop Robert Morneau

	Bishop Robert Morneau
	Questions for reflection: 1. What does Christmas mean to you? 2. What role does the Incarnation play in your life? 3. How do you focus on the essence of the Christmas mystery?

At the heart of the Christmas mystery is this passage from John's Gospel: "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we have seen His glory: the glory of an only Son coming from the Father, filled with enduring love."

Christmas
• Other Christmas articles

This mystery is what Mary pondered in her heart and this is the mystery about which the angels sang. We too are invited to ponder and to sing, to celebrate and to wonder, to give thanks and to commit ourselves to the same enduring love that came to earth in Jesus. By doing this we give glory to God and, when done in faith, it brings peace and joy to the soul.

"The Word became flesh . . ." We call this happening the Incarnation: God become man in the person of Jesus. The Incarnation and the doctrine of the Trinity are the two cornerstones of our Catholic faith. We believe in one God and a Trinity of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; we believe that this God broke into history and continues to dwell among us in word and sacrament. This is the faith that is at the core of our Christmas celebration.

In Jesus is the glory of God made manifest. That is, the glory of the fullness of light, love, and life. Human history is too familiar with darkness, hatred, and death. We finite creatures are overwhelmed by sin and death. Indeed, at bottom, we are powerless over these dark mysteries. But in the birth of Jesus a new light has shone and a new love, one that endures, is present, and the possibility of a full life is ours.

So what is our response to the Christmas mystery? Like Mary, we are invited to give thanks for the marvelous deeds God has done for us. Gratitude is foundational to the Christian life: we are a blessed people and we are to take nothing for granted. Then there is the call to obedience, to say "yes" as Mary did to whatever God asked of her. Even though afraid and unknowing, Mary embraced God's will with courageous confidence. And thirdly, we respond to the birth of Christ by being willing agents of his light, love, and life in our days. There is a mission given us at Christmas - to make Christ present to all those we meet. By doing this we bring glory to God.

Fr. Karl Rahner, S.J., writes: "Jesus Christ, faith and love, entrusting oneself to the darkness of existence and into the incomprehensibility of God in trust and in the company of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen one, these are the central realities for the Christian." We must not allow the commercialism of Christmas to block our vision of what we are celebrating. Being together with family and friends, exchanging gifts, traveling from here to there, all have their place. Yet beneath the surface - the depth dimension of these days - lies the reality of Jesus become man and dwelling now with us.

It is in praying with the Church, the entire people of God, that we find our center and achieve an appropriate focus for this feast: "God of love, Father of all, the darkness that covered the earth has given way to the bright dawn of your Word made flesh. Make us a people of this light. Make us faithful to your Word, that we may bring your life to the waiting world. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen."

(Bp. Morneau is the auxiliary bishop of the Green Bay Diocese and pastor of Resurrection Parish in Allouez.)