Christmas, 2017
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Christmas, 2017
In His Enduring Love…All for Us
Msgr. Thomas Gervasio
Merry Christmas! What a joy it is be together in the presence of the Lord to praise him on this great solemnity!
The Scriptures paint a beautiful picture of a world that is being totally transformed: Darkness is scattered and a great light shines through the gloom! The sky is illumined by the vision of angels singing God’s praises. The long awaited Savior comes and brings, in the words of the prophet, light, joy, freedom, justice and peace. The shepherds we encounter in the Gospel this morning go in haste to Bethlehem, and proclaim in amazement the news of Christ’s birth. This is the beautiful picture that is Christmas. This beauty, this mystery, this transformation, is meant for us!
In his enduring love for us, God unites heaven and earth. The human and the divine are united in the Child that we find lying in the manger. This Infant is God’s gift to each of us and to the world. In a few moments we will say the ancient words of the Creed: For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven.
Why did God put off his glory and come down to earth? It was his enduring love so that we can find in him love, truth, happiness, and hope for heaven. These things we desire not only for ourselves but for all people. So tonight we pray not only for our loved ones, living and deceased, but also for the lonely, the poor, and the lost. We pray too for those who are being persecuted for their faith in Jesus, for those separated from their families, and for all victims of violence and terrorism.
In the gift of Jesus, God’s heart is open to us. And his heart is a heart of extraordinary love, a heart of infinite mercy, humility, and gentleness. Because of Christmas, we can never say: “I am not good enough or I’m not worthy of God’s love.” So many times we judge ourselves harder than God judges us! But God knows us. He knows our weaknesses and our virtues. He knows us perfectly.
This mystery lies behind all the good wishes and gifts we exchange. Even beneath our irritability, our quarrels, our hurried activity during these days, beneath the divisions which sometime happen over little things, there is the desire to love, to be understood, and to be loved. In a word, to be transformed! The Infant Jesus coming among us is the sign that God has opened the door to that transformation and new life.