Christmas - an invitation to fall in love!

Christmas - an invitation to fall in love!



All of us have gone to weddings. Two people fall in love, and we witness they are entering into a covenant. Throughout the Bible they talk about the covenant between God and Mass. God cannot fall in love because he is Love. Christmas invites us to fall in love with God.

In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve. They were pure, holy, and lived in perfect union/love with God. One day the devil interrupted their union with God and lost their purity and holiness. Since then, God has been in search of   human beings. He walked among Israelites and guided them through the patriarchs, prophets, and kings. Isaiah was one of the greatest prophets who appeared at a critical moment in Israel’s history. Israelites were in exile. Isaiah gave them hope and prophesied of the coming of Jesus.

God sent his Word through the messengers, but for 400 years God did not speak to them. In the fullness of time, the Word became flesh – Jesus. We had barely four weeks of Advent, waiting and preparing for Christmas. 2000 years ago, when he came there was no room in Bethlehem. At this Christmas, can he find room in our hearts? Let us pause to meditate on these beautiful readings, and be ready to welcome and adore the Newborn King.

First, let us look at the first readings from the book of Isaiah. For Christmas Eve at Dawn, it is from Isaiah 62. Isaiah uses imagery to describe the conversion of Israel from gloom to joy. The prophet tells them that their God is a saving God who extends his redemption to the Holy City. The incarnation represents the marriage of divine and human nature. This passage expresses the joy of the bridal people of God at the arrival of Christ, our Bridegroom. For Christmas  midnight, it is from the book of Isaiah (9:1-6). Isaiah says that people who walk in the darkness, oppressed by Assyria, eventually will see the light and restoration of Israel. Prophets brought hope to the people of the Israelites. The Gospel of Matthew 4:12-23 records the fulfillment of the prophecy, as Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee, the tribal territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, the territory destroyed by Assyria. They were the first people to witness the spiritual restoration of Israel through Jesus Christ. For the Mass during the day, Isaiah (52:7-10) proclaims the good news of the coming of the Lord. The prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, King of Kings, who will come to Jerusalem for the restoration. And that truly is good news.

Gospel readings are from Matthew, Luke, and John. On Christmas Eve Mass, we read the genealogy of Jesus from the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew’s Gospel summarizes and tells us that Joseph is from the family of David, and Jesus is from the stump of Jesse, Jesus was born into a royal family. Joseph was a carpenter, but he belonged to the Davidic royal family. The Gospel of Luke emphasizes the role of Mary. How she listens to the message from the angel, obeys, and shares that joy with her cousin Elizabeth. While Mary and Joseph were in Bethlehem, the birthplace of David, Mary gave birth to Jesus. We have from the Gospel of John for the Mass of the day. John says the Word was with God, Word was God, and referring to that he was the eternal Word of the Father. John says Jesus is the Eternal Word through whom everything was created and in the fullness of time Word made flesh.

The Word became flesh in the house of bread - Bethlehem. He was laid in a manger, where animals were fed. He is the bread of life for humanity. At the Last Supper, he commanded us to “Do this in memory of me.” We are in Eucharistic Revival and Maintenance to Mission years. It is an invitation to grow in love for the Eucharist and actively proclaim/share the faith. Bishop James Powers says in his Pastoral Letter, “Authentic evangelization can only be an overflow of the love of God that we have personally received, pouring itself out in a desire for that love to be received by those around us.” Christmas is an invitation to fall in love with Jesus and make his name known and loved.

THANK YOU! I would like to express gratitude to everyone who made our Christmas celebration beautiful: decorators, music, and all other ministers. I would also like to thank all of you who sent cards, gifts, bringing goodies, and so on. It is much appreciated. I didn’t get a chance to write to each one of you. Thank you, everyone, and I will keep you all in my prayers. Please keep me in yours.

Merry Christmas!