CHRISTMAS DAY MASS: THE WORD MADE FLESH

Merry Christmas

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

On Christmas Day, the Church leads us beyond the manger and into mystery. John’s Gospel begins with eternity. God comes to earth to transform us. Before time, before creation, before history—the Word existed. And that Word is not an idea or a principle. The Word is a Person: Jesus Christ.

John reveals something breathtaking in this gospel: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” This tells us how deeply God values humanity. God did not shout instructions from heaven or send a message from afar. He came himself. He entered our human condition—our weakness, our questions, our suffering—so that nothing truly human would be foreign to God.

At Christmas, we experience the baby in a manger. But it is more than seeing or visiting the crib. It is about God choosing closeness. It is about God choosing to connect with our lived experience. The eternal Word takes on flesh so that God is no longer distant or unreachable. God now has a face. God can be seen, touched, and encountered.

The Letter to the Hebrews captures this perfectly, "In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word" (Heb. 1: 2-3). The Christmas mystery bestows an overwhelming privilege on us.

John also speaks of light: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Christmas assures us that darkness—sin, fear, despair, suffering—does not have the final word. Christ does. Even when darkness still surrounds us, the light of Christ is already shining within us.

Finally, John says something deeply personal: “To those who received him, he gave power to become children of God.” Christmas calls us, like John, to bear witness. It is not only about who Christ is, but about who we become in Christ. Drawn into his light, our souls—like Christmas lights—begin to glow, so that we may illumine others.

In Christ, we are no longer strangers to God. We are no longer in darkness. We are sons and daughters. Today, we rejoice, not only because Christ is born, but because God has drawn near. The Word has become flesh. Light has entered our darkness. And we have received the gift of belonging.

Merry Christmas.