Deacon Tom Writes,
“The Word became Flesh”
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord completing our Christmas Season that began on the First Sunday of Advent way back on November 30th. I suspect for most of us these six weeks have been quite different than any other Advent / Christmas seasons we have known. We Americans are not accustomed to having our movements limited or restricted as has been necessary because of the pandemic. Yet, it seems to me, we were still able to occupy ourselves preparing as best we could to celebrate this Holy and festive occasion. Physical visits and hugs and kisses from our loved ones had to be virtual yet, thanks to technology such as Facetime and Google Meet, we have been able to be present to those we love. So, in the black hole that has clouded our Christmas Joy, my hope is that we are able to take in some quiet time to experience the mystery of our faith that liturgically comes to completion today… the mystery of the Incarnation, “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” (JN 1:14)
Yes, this simple yet profound message of the Christmas season… “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” is not an easy message to incorporate into our daily lives. How do we who call ourselves “Christian” and who number ourselves among the “members of the Body of Christ” reengage the world after celebrating the birth of our infant savior? How do we engage this new year with a renewed level of energy and a deepened commitment to living the gospel message born by our infant savior? The answer, I believe, comes from this notion that our Savior came down from heaven to “dwell among us”. Once we grasp this profound reality, we begin to realize that for Christians there can be no “packing away” our faith along with the Advent Wreath and the Christmas ornaments until next year. No! We don’t just celebrate our Savior’s birth and baptism then just pick up where we left off with business as usual, forgetting our uniquely Catholic-Christian identity. Like Jesus, we too are called and we are sent… as His disciples, to make a difference in the world…for the better…to make His presence and His teachings known to all around us…not just by our words, but by our actions! Yes, it is one thing to sing “O Come All Ye Faithful” at Midnight Mass. It is quite another to be faithful to the teachings of Christ…and the example He set, of forgiveness, compassion, tolerance, patience, and unconditional love for all, even His enemies, even those who put Him to death. Recent history has put out a clarion call for Christians to be actively engage in being disciples of Jesus today…. in our time, in our homes, our communities, our schools, in our words and all our actions.
We begin 2021 with a deep sense of hope; hope that we will all choose peace over violence; hope that we will choose reconciliation instead of retaliation; hope that we will choose love over hatred. We hope to turn our backs to evil in all of its degrading forms. We resolve to denounce all forms of racism, bigotry, commoditization of people for profit, pleasure, for any and all evil purposes. We hope that by living the way Jesus lived we can transform this world into the kingdom ushered in by His birth. If we have truly come to believe that, “the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…” all that we do will reflect the Christ Child’s abiding love and presence within us as we work together building the Kingdom of God on earth.
May the “Word become Flesh” dwell in our hearts, now and forever!
Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom
Image Credit: commons.wikimedia.org
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