This is the day before Christmas and I again find myself reflecting on it not only because of the homily I will deliver later tonight and the whole day tomorrow, but also to imbibe its meaning in my life. Before I became a priest, Christmas was just an opportunity for me to obtain many gifts and spend happy times with my love ones. If I have those, Christmas is already "meaningful" to me. But since 1992, when I was ordained, Christmas had become for me a message to share than just an opportunity.
Christmas is the Incarnation of God in Jesus Christ. It happened on a silent night and a holy night. The Nativity was really a simple, humble and subdued event. God, in His love, decided to become human to personally save humanity. The greatness of the act is beyond human intelligence. The act is purely divine. Only a God can do it. In fact, ONLY OUR GOD CAN DO IT, WILL DO IT, AND HAVE DONE IT! The meaning of the season rests on the deep understanding and appreciation of that act of God. Nothing less than a true grasping of that truth will make the Incarnation fully accepted and celebrated.
The challenge to a preacher like me is how to present it in human terms. That alone makes it difficult. How can an act of God be explained in human terms. How can an act of the Creator be fully contained in the limited words and experiences of a mere creature! The answer is; NO WAY! At most, maybe we can just have a trillionth of an iota of the idea of it. And that is being generous about it! But the process is not entirely hopeless. As Scripture says, God has inscribed His Word in our hearts. With the right attitude, deep faith, and the inspiration of God Himself in His Spirit, we can arrive at an acceptable appreciation of that truth. We will develop that reason to believe in what God had done for us more than two thousand years ago.
I remember, not an experience but a story I read when I was young, in a "komiks"magazine. The "komiks" is a common tao's magazine in the '70s which contains short stories presented through picture sketches by an artist. The story was about a crime reporter who was assigned by his editor to make an article depicting the life of a convict in maximum security awaiting his day of execution via the electric chair. He was not satisfied with just interviewing one or two of them. He believed that if his article will be credible and factual, he should experience living in the maximum security prison with the death row convicts. So, he approached the prison Chief and told him of his plan. The Chief readily agreed seeing the good it will do for everyone. In order to to preserve the essence of the plan, the agreement was made only between the reporter and the prison Chief. In this way, he will be staying in prison incognito throughout the course of his research. So one day, he entered the death row and was subjected to every process a death convict goes through. He was even given his own execution day! He was not given any special treatment; he ate what they ate, slept where they slept, did his share of prison chores, etc. The reporter was finding death row life very difficult but the prospect of making a realistic and factual report on the life of a death row convict inspired him to endure and go all the way. But something happened. As his execution day was drawing near, news arrived that the prison Chief was hospitalized and later died the day before the reporter's execution day! He was very worried but hoped that the Chief had relayed their secret to the responsible people before he died. On the day of his execution, he was fetched from his cell and was prepared for his death; the people he wanted to see, the last meals, the pastor for confession, his last words etc. Fear enveloped him. He asked to see the Chief. But he was told that the Chief had died. He told them about his agreement with the Chief. But nobody would believe him. They thought he was acting that way because of his impending death. He was shouting, kicking, grabbing, crying, wailing, and in great rage. All the time, he was telling them that it was a mistake and that he was there only for the article. With nobody believing him, he accepted his fate. Now he was actually dying. Worse, he was dying without having committed anything criminal. yet he was dying a criminals death. He was made to seat on the electric chair; put all the straps and the finally the head gear and the blindfold. He said his last prayers and submitted himself to God. The countdown began and he resigned his life. But before the final count, a voice whispered to his ear, "Now, you know how it feels?" It was the voice of the Chief who did not actually die but faked it so as to make the reporter really experience walking to his death!
While this reporter experienced everything save for the actual execution, our Lord Jesus, went through everything including death. That is how much He loves us. That is the beauty and greatness of what God had done which he begun last Christmas day. He embraced our humanity totally! Reflect on that and you will discover JOY. J-esus, O-thers, and Y-ou!
I searched the dictionary for the right word to describe what God has done. I tried, "Sympathy" which is defined as feelings of pity and sorrow for someone else's misfortune. Not enough. Next, "Empathy" which is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Again, not up to it. "Compassion" which is the sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings and misfortunes of others. Lacks something more. Finally, I tried, "Inculturation" which is the gradual acquisition of the characteristics and norms of a culture or group by a person, another culture, etc. Very close but still lacking. This just means that indeed the Incarnation is purely a divine act!
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