The Feast of Christmas is around the corner. Central to this celebration and to our whole Christian faith is that God lives among us. Are there ways that we can express this basis of our faith? Sometimes we use the word “mystery” to describe such wonders of our faith. It is important that we do not confuse this term as something beyond our understanding. Instead, it is a word that allows us to accept that we are referring to a truth that is so great and full of meaning that we can never fully define or exhaust it. It will ever have a meaning for us that is inexhaustible.
The First Letter of John captures some of this inexhaustible “mystery” of our faith: My dear people, let us love one another since love comes from God and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God (1 Jn. 4:7). If we were to understand what we are celebrating with this Feast of Christmas, then perhaps there is no better starting point than this brief statement from John’s letter. With it, we glimpse the “mystery” as it touches our lives. Surely, this is Good News.
Our English word, Gospel comes from the Anglo-Saxon, god-spell or glad tidings. These glad tidings or good news or gospel are the story of God’s presence acting among us. What a wonder! This is good news that is so important, so wonderful that from the earliest times Christians told and retold the story, again and again. At some point in the first several generations it was decided that this oral story of the message and mission of Jesus should be written down. This writing down occurred in numerous Christian communities and was shared around their world, as the glad tidings, the gospel.
With the Feast of the Incarnation, we celebrate the glad tidings of God’s coming among us, to all humanity. It is the beginning of the Paschal Mystery and truly gospel, good news. How do we know and experience God among us? How do we discover that God has a love that brings the divine to live among, to live with the human?
In the reading from Luke’s Gospel (Luke 3:10-18) we meet another John - the Baptist. John is often seen as the last of the Old Testament prophets and at the same time, the first of the apostles of Jesus. As prophet, he calls on people to change, to prepare for the advent of God into our lives. As apostle, John calls for us to recognize and acknowledge that God is now among us.
Listening to this prophet and apostle, how can we grow in our own awareness of this wonder of our faith? Perhaps it is in a very active way. Hearing John, repeatedly people ask him the question what should we do? John’s responses are varied, but they all call for an attitude of compassion, respect, justice and peace. Paul, writing to the Philippian community of Christians (Phil.4:4-7) reveals the same message: live with gentleness to all, that God’s peace may be with you.
As we continue to move closer to the Feast of the Incarnation both John and Paul help us to find a response to our question. How can we tell that God is among us? It is by recognizing and acknowledging God’s presence in those we encounter – acknowledging that God is indeed among us and acting towards others in ways that reflect this presence.
The Old Testament prophet Zephaniah presents us with the ultimate result of such a vision of God’s active presence when we are told:
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,...The Lord, your God is in your midst,...
God will rejoice over you with gladness,...
You will be renewed in God’s love. (Zeph. 3:14-18)
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