Reflection/Homily: Christmas Day Mass 2013

Reflection/Homily: Christmas Day Mass 2013

Theme: The Restoration of Hope

In a certain kingdom, there was a very wealthy king. This king was known to be very generous, merciful and just. He never compromised anything for evil and always maintained his subjects were disciplined. He was comfortable but his only problem was that he had no heir to his throne. This caused him so much distress until he adopted a little boy who grew up as his son and became the heir to the throne. He provided everything possible to make life comfortable for the heir in the palace. The king made him little less than himself and gave him the freedom to do everything except to sit on the king’s throne until he was crowned king. He also ordered all his servants to obey the prince. 

One day while the king was asleep, some foreign visitors came to see the king and a servant suggested to the prince to appear as the king and attend to the visitors since he was the heir to the throne. The prince clothed himself as the king and attended to the visitors. When the king learnt of this, he was enraged and sent the son away. He lost the hope of inheriting the kingdom and became sick. As he roamed on the streets hopelessly, he was taken hostage by some enemies where he suffered severely. Learning of his miserable condition, the king took pity on him and sent his chief servant to bring to the son the good news of forgiveness, deliverance and restoration. Imagine the joy this son would have on seeing the messenger advance towards him with a message of hope. 

This story is similar to the story of the fall of man who abused the freedom God gave him and lost paradise. This broken relationship between God and man made the salvation of man hopeless and helpless until God promised to save man and restore him to his former glory through the redemptive work of Christ. The Israelites were in this condition of hopelessness and helplessness when God announced the Good News of deliverance through the prophet Isaiah in the first reading (Isaiah 52:7-10). This deliverance and restoration was a foretaste of the redemption to be brought by Christ not just for the Israelites, but for the whole of humanity.

Today, at Christmas, we celebrate the beginning of this redemptive work of Christ. We recall Christ’s birth as a revelation of God’s love for us, as an assurance of hope, as a promise of deliverance from captivity and sin and as a sign of reconciliation between God and man, man and man and man and nature. For this reason, the second reading (Hebrews 1:1-6) reminds us of the great role Christ played by purifying us of our sins, reconciling us with the Father and sitting at the Father’s right hand to intercede for us. There was no better person to play this role than Christ, the one that has existed since the beginning. The gospel reading (John 1:1-18) calls him the Word through whom all things were made. This Word had to become flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary so as to save us. 

Therefore beloved friends, as we celebrate this great feast, we are invited to rejoice as the son who saw the harbinger of the good news of his deliverance and restoration for Christ is the Good News we have been waiting for and He is the light that will dispel the darkness in our hearts. The presence of Christ should fill our thoughts this season and ever so that we live out the antecedents of the Christmas season. This is a season of hope, reconciliation, forgiveness, restoration, joy and peace. We must let people experience Christ in us through the peace we shall build among our brethren.

Have you really encountered Christ this season? Behold Him the Light of the world asking you to allow Him to illumine your hearts and dispel the darkness therein. Have you given him a chance? What is your response to God’s love for you, have you transferred this joy to your neighbour? Are you ready to forgive that person who hurt you? Are you ready to reconcile with your family and friends? Now is the moment of reconciliation. Do not let this hour pass you by. God loves you.