Incarnation of God’s Word

December 25, Monday, Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord
Daily Readings: First reading: Isaiah  52: 7-10;  Second Reading: Heb 1: 1-6; Gospel: John 1: 1-18

It is interesting to note that St. John begins his prologue with the same words with which the book of Genesis starts: “In the beginning...” Here, John speaks of the close relationship between God’s word and God’s nature.

He almost equates God’s word with God’s nature: (i) As God is beginningless, so is His word. Both existed from the beginning. (ii) The Word cannot be separated from its Source i.e. God (“the word was with God). (iii) Word’s nature is the same as God’s nature (“the word was God”).

St. John points out that this word of God took flesh in the person of Jesus Christ—the invisible became the visible! When we look at the Bible, we can see at least six similarities between Jesus and God’s word: (i). The word of God is the way (Ps 119:33, 37); Jesus said that he is the way (Jn 14:6). (ii) God’s word is truth itself (“your word is truth—Jn 17:17); Jesus said, “I am the truth” (Jn 14:6). (iii).

The word of God offers life (Jn 6:63); so does Jesus (Jn 1:4; 14:6; 10:10). (iv). The word of God is light to our lives (Ps 119:105); Jesus said, “I am the light.” (Jn 8:12). (v) God’s word offers peace (Ps 119:165); so also Jesus (Jn 14:27). (vi). God’s word is eternal (Ps 119:89, Lk 21:33); Jesus too lives forever (Heb 13:8). So it is very apt that St. John compared God’s word to Jesus.

The feast of Christmas invites us to celebrate the presence of God in our midst in visual form. The invisible God’s word got incarnated in the form of the visible Jesus. Bishop Blessed Fulton J. Sheen once said that the Old Testament (OT) is like radio and the New Testament (NT) is like TV.

During the Old Testament, people heard God. After the birth of Jesus, we are privileged to see God. Through the birth of Jesus, God took a quantum leap to live in the midst of human beings, to share their joys and sorrows, and to be with them.

As much as we, as human beings, have been created in the image and likeness of God, we need to understand that our words too have the power to take visible forms. Each word we utter has a particular type of vibration.

The words uttered with love and compassion have positive vibrations, while the words uttered with hatred and anger carry negative vibrations. Depending upon the type of words we use, we charge the atmosphere wherein we live with positivity or negativity. And accordingly, they bear fruit.