The Nativity of the Lord

FR DOMINIC’S HOMILY

Today we have the famous prologue from Johns Gospel. Matthew and Mark speak all about the birth of Christ in time in a manger in a stable yet John goes back further and speaks about Christ existing from all eternity.

In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.

When we speak words to another person we also tell something of ourselves. Who we are as a person cannot be separated from how we communicate when we speak words to another. But it is only in a restrictive way because of our human nature.

God however is the perfect reality. He is the source of all creation. He can speak himself completely – his words carry the complete truth of who he is. He speaks the Son – who is the fullness of his Father.

All things came to be through him. God is like a great artist. He has made the world through His word. All the elements, the plants and creatures that have evolved over time and all of reality is stamped by order reason and understanding like the coin stamped with the image of Caesar.

When you go out and study any aspect of this world you find that there are underlying laws and governing principles. The world isn’t just a random mess it is finely tuned and balanced. It speaks of an underlying mind and that designer we call God.

John the Baptist came to testify to this Word. God has sent prophets throughout the ages. They are human bearers of his word. Anyone who speaks of that which is good true and beautiful are also prophets of God for that is where God is found in the world.

John the Baptist sums up and represents all those who speak the truth about God. He is the last and greatest of the prophets who came to be the herald of Jesus himself.

We are all made for union with God. He is the deepest hunger of every human heart. Yet often we don’t know him – that’s the tragedy of sin - we live out of step with our own deepest identity.

If you pluck a guitar string and hold it next to another one it vibrates sympathetically with it. So it is with us when we hear God’s word it makes our hearts resonate because we are made for him.

It evokes a response. We are either for him or against him. There is no in-between. We spend our whole lives deciding this and choosing.

God became human so that humans may become God. We are raised up to share in his life. God is our ultimate destiny where we find goodness, joy, truth, love and peace. Rather like those advent wreath candles.

In ancient days the temple was the place where heaven and earth met. So in the incarnation this meeting between heaven and earth is now complete. Christ is the true temple.

He is the definitive place to meet God. He is the person where heaven and earth coming together. God becomes one of us when he is born in Bethlehem. (A name which means house of bread)

So in this prologue of John we find the essence of Christmas. Jesus is born in a stable in a manger because there was no room for him in the inn.

He is placed into a manger which is used to hold food for the animals. So Jesus is born in a town called the house of bread. He is placed in a food manger and will become food for all humanity as bread for our lives.

He now remains with us for ever as bread from heaven housed in our tabernacles. And it is at the Mass that we have the real presence of God now forever amongst his people.

God in his grace comes down to us so that we may become participants of him. So that we can be raised up to Him.

There was no room in the inn for the birth of Jesus so we must make room for Jesus to be born in our hearts this Christmas amongst the business and stress of all the preparations.

And let us remember that it is in Jesus that we realise the fullness of who we are because at the end of the day it is only the love of God that defines who we really are.

And that’s the true meaning of Christmas.