Dear Friends
Advent is slipping away: one week more and then Christmas. The candles of the wreath have changed colour: violet to rose and soon to Christmas white or gold, and we’re moving through the advent themes represented in the candles: hope, peace, joy and love.
Br Peter Carroll FMS.
Ideally, the birth of any child is a product or manifestation of love. A baby should be loved into life, irrespective of the parents, circumstances or processes in the ‘new dispensation’. Birth is full of wonder. People can easily become captivated, staring into the face of the new-born: such joy, such a miracle. And so, with the birth of Jesus; more so given his place in salvation history.
Wonder and love – this is what is captured in Christmas. Leaving aside the marvellous stories of Jesus’ birth in all their richness and theological depth, the core message of Christmas is overwhelming. It’s captured succinctly in the Gospel of Christmas Day Mass:
In the beginning was the Word:
The Word was with God
And the Word was God…
The Word became flesh,
And lived among us,
And we saw his glory,
The glory that he has from the father as only son of the father,
Full of grace and truth” (John 1: 1, 14)
Wonder and Love - that God came to us! That God came to us in the form of an infant, vulnerable and dependent.
Wonder and love – the Incarnation promises God’s continuing presence in our lives and our world. As Avery Dulles wrote so insightfully: “the incarnation does not provide us with a ladder by which to escape the ambiguities of life and scale the heights of heaven. Rather, it enables us to burrow into the heart of planet earth and find it shimmering with divinity”.
Despite the length of our ‘to do lists’ at this time of year, many people love Christmas, even in our secular society. Partly because of the stories and carols, the gifts given and received, the two-day holiday spent with family. For many though it’s the perception of this wonder and love.
Christina Rosetti’s 1885 poem captures this beautifully:
Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, Love Divine,
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and Angels gave the sign.
Worship we the Godhead,
Love Incarnate, Love Divine,
Worship we our Jesus,
But wherewith for sacred sign?
Love shall be our token,
Love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.
I pray that you and your loved ones and communities will be touched by the wonder and love of Christmas this year.
Br Peter Carroll FMS
CRA President.