12/25/2022 (Sunday) Today’s gospel reading: John 1:1-18

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be
4 through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race;
5 the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
6 A man named John was sent from God.
7 He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.
9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him.
11 He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him.
12 But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name,
13 who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.
15 John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’”
16 From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace,
17 because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.

12/25/2022 (Sunday) Today’s gospel reflection: John 1:1-18

So this is Christmas – the day the savior of mankind is born. The Messiah that was spoken of in the Old Testament has finally come. “The Word was made flesh.” What a powerful statement this is! The divine has finally come down to dwell among us humans. The God of Adam and Eve, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has laid aside His heavenly majesty in order to be one with us. Amazing, isn’t it?

Indeed, Jesus is the awaited savior – the Son of God who was promised to liberate the world from its sinfulness, He is the true Light that will banish darkness. Because of Him, we have hope that truly springs eternal. Because of Him, we are confident that this world will not remain as it is, that it will soon be liberated. Yes, because of the baby in the manger, we remain hopeful that the last, the least, and the lost, which actually includes you and me, will have their time of liberation.

And that is why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. It is a time for us to reflect on why and how the almighty God became a vulnerable little boy in a manger on a cold night in Bethlehem. It is all because He loves us so much as to pursue us – His rebellious children. In our reflection of the incarnation, may we have the hope to look forward to His next coming, the peace that the world cannot give, the joy of receiving the Good News of salvation through Jesus, and above all, the love that can transform us and make us into His likeness.

*****

We may have celebrated Christmas for many years already. For a lot of people, Christmas has become an opportunity for commerce. For others, it is a time to travel because of the holidays. For children most especially, Christmas is a season of accumulating gifts from loved ones. In short, the real meaning of Christmas has been lost due to tradition and human greed. May the baby in the manger reminds us that He is the real reason for the season.

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