When the writer of the book of Genesis depicts God as the one who is
responsible for all of creation, he makes it clear that the very word of God is
creative. Before anything comes into
existence, it is preceded with the phrase “and God said”.
He makes it clear that God did not create evil. Though as do see the serpent already in the
garden, God did not speak it into existence in a deliberate way. It was the writer’s way of imparting a
theological truth – that evil was never a direct creation of God. Evil has always been understood as a result
of the freedom that God gave to his creation to turn away from the good that he
had always intended for it.
The gospel writer John is well known as the evangelist with the most
developed theology of the four gospel writers.
It is in John’s writing that we see him defining God as Love. It has to be grounded in the fact that as he
lived and walked with Jesus in his lifetime, and heard Jesus talking about God
and how essentially he is love, and that he came to the conclusion that Jesus
shared this essence of God being Love.
It was thus revealed to him.
What makes the incarnation such a truly epic event in history is
that God had entered it in a deliberate and definitive way. While the writer of the Genesis creation
story had the correct notion that God’s word was not only creative but also
life-giving, he still had little notion that God in his essence is Love. Christmas is really then the celebration of a
dimension of God’s creative initiative but on a whole new level. Christmas is where God speaks once more and
effectively says, “Let there be Love”.
When we realise anew that Christmas is essentially a celebration of
God’s divine, creative and saving love, it gives us all a lasting hope that
neither wanes nor dims. Emmanuel is the
reason for this because it truly means that God-is-with-us.
I wish all of my readers a most blessed and love-filled
Christmas. Indeed, let there be love.
Yes, blessed AND love filled Christmas to you too!! God has done many love filled deeds we don't even think about. How great is that! And Jesus took on and did an ultimate deed of love. Christmas is truely a time to remember how this loving God became man, through virgin Mary. Alleluia!
ReplyDelete"Christmas is essentially a celebration of God’s divine, creative and saving love, it gives us all a lasting hope that neither wanes nor dims...."
ReplyDeleteOn reading this week's post, I find myself drawn to this line above. And at this morning's mass, when the celebrant sang the beautiful Gospel reading of John (Jn1 :1-18)- which happened to be one of my favorites- I was reminded of the above quote.
Moreover, at the homily, speaking of the last days, the homilist said that as Christians we should not be caught un-prepared or un-armed coz we have both the Incarnation & Calvary to remind us - how God took upon himself our frail humanity to enter into the "Reality" of our messy world to save us through his terrible death on the cross. Of course there were more pithy observations made but it was enough to set me thinking. Besides he threw us a challenge.......based on his homily......how Christian am I ?
This juxtaposition of the Incarnation & Calvary in this manner seems to speak to me - at once so wonderful & so terrible ..........its message was only one word - Love
God bless u, Fr
Tessa