25/12/03 Christmas
Day(C) John 1: 1-5, 9-14
St. Patrickís parish is in
Kowloon, Hong Kong.Ý There are four
weekend Masses including a childrenís Mass at 10:45, Sunday.Ý This is the parish where I was formerly
pastor. [email protected].Ý Cf. also Social Concerns Education: www.acpp.org -- Fr. Gene Thalman M.M.]
I would like each of you to think about your
life story. [Long pause]. Now a good way to tell any story is to begin at the
very beginning.Ý Where would you begin
your life story?
Perhaps you would begin your story with your
father and mother and the nine months before you were born.Ý Your parents started caring for you and
loving you even before you were born?
During the nine months preceding your birth,
your mother made many sacrifices for you.Ý
She may have had to eat special foods that she didnít likeólike prunes
and broccoli. She had to stop eating fast foods and potato chips. Before you
were born your mother already loved you. She wanted to have a healthy body to
house you during the following nine months.Ý
And after you were born she needed to be in good health to take care of
you at any time of the day or nightówhenever you cried. Perhaps your father had
to give up smoking, take on an extra job and cut out late night carousing with
friends and ruffians.Ý Yes, the story of
your life began months before you were born.Ý
Your parents loved and cared for you even before you were born.Ý That is how you might think of beginning
your life story.
But actually each of your lifeís stories
began even earlier than nine months before your birth.
GODíS WORD:Ý In todayís gospel reading, St. John informs
us of the ìbeginningî time-- long, long ago when God began loving and caring
for us.Ý It was the ìbeginningî of Godís
plan to send his beloved Son to be with us and lead us to eternal safety.
ìIn
the beginning was the Word; the
Word was in Godís presence, and the Word was God.î [Jn 1:1]Ý [NAB]
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Our personal Christmas
story begins in eternity.
ÝìThe Word was God,î
St. John tells that the Word was the second
person of the blessed Trinity.Ý Because
the ìWord was God,î he was eternal, there never was a time when the Word did
not exist. The Christmas story begins in eternity.
ìThrough him all things came into being and apart
from him nothing came to be.î
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ John
tells us that at some point in time, according to modern scientists-fifteen to
twenty billion years ago, God began a long process of creation.Ý About forty thousand years a new kind of
creature appeared on earth.Ý We would
have hesitated inviting one of these creatures to our house for dinner.Ý Nevertheless these creatures, our ancestors,
had much in common with us.Ý These folks
could think about things, talk to one another, love others and know that others
loved them.Ý It certainly took a long
time to get you and me.Ý It was Godís
long-range plan.
Whatever
came to be in him,
found
lifeÖî
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ But there was more to
Godís plan.Ý God wanted to share his
very life with each of us human beings.Ý
And already billions of years ago, God planned to do this by sending his
Son, Jesus, true God and true man, to give us this life.Ý He did!Ý
It would be through Jesus, the Son of God, that all human beings would
find the fullness of lifeódivine life. That is why we Christians of St.
Patrickís community are so happy this Christmas day, 2003.ÝÝ
OUR RESPONSE:
Be full of wonder at the billions of years that preceded the birth of Christ and the birth of each of us. Think a lot about this during this Christmas week.Ý God began loving and caring for you and me billions of years before we were born!Ý God thinks that everyone of us is real important and precious.
Ý How many of you will try to remember to think of this often during the coming week?Ý If you are in a family, at grace before meals, remind each other about the many years God had been preparing for the birth of Jesus and for the birth of each member of your family.
If any family remembers to do this each day during the coming week, next Sunday I will give each member of that family a holy card. I will!
Ý
If you will attempt to do this, stand up now and recite the Creed.
FINALEÝ ÝA
good way to tell the story of Jesus is to ìstart from the beginningî-- just the
way St. John did in this morningís Christmas gospel.
25/12/03ÝÝ Christmas Day (C)Ý John 1: 1-5, 9-14
THREE WORDS:Ý Beginning
of Christmas Story
THEME:Ý The
Christmas story and our story began in eternity.
TEXT:Ý ìIn
the beginningÖî
DESIRED RESULT:Ý Father,
your Christmas Day homily was okay. I couldnít get it out of my head all week
that God was thinking about me billions of years ago.Ý It made me feel like a VIP (very important person).
CHURCHíS POINT OF
VIEW
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ìThe
coming of Godís Son to earth is an event of such immensity that God willed to
prepare for it over centuries. He makes everything converge on Christ: all the
rituals and sacrifices, figures and symbols of the ëFirst Covenant.íîÝ
Catechism of the Catholic Church, (Mission Hills: Benziger Publishing Co,
1994),Ý #522, p. 131-132.
REFERENCES:
ìThe prologue [of St. Johnís Gospel] gives in a nutshell
the content of the gospel in relation to the evangelistís purpose of revealing
the true identity and mission of Jesus to the audience.Ý It may be likened to the infancy narratives
in Matthew and Luke in that it deals with Jesusí origins and announces the
nature of his mission.îÝ
Teresa Okure, ìJohnî, in The International Bible Commentary, ed.
by William R. Farmer (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1998), p. 1459.
25/12/03ÝÝÝÝ Christmas Day(C)Ý John 1: 1-5, 9-14
NAME_________ Grade_____________
1. When telling a story, it is best to start at the very b_______.
2. In his gospel, at what point did St. Luke begin the Story of Jesus?
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ ______________________________________________
3. In his gospel, at what point did St. Matthew begin the Story ofÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ
ÝÝÝ Jesus?Ý ____________________________________
4. When did God start planning for the birth of Jesus? ________
5.Ý When did God start planning for your birth? ______________