It’s Christmas Eve and as the famous poem of Dr. Clement Moore goes “T’was the night before Christmas, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” Here in Cebu Christmas Eve could never be quiet with so many people rushing for their last minute shopping and yes, there is traffic everywhere we go, and when there is traffic you could hardly call it quiet!
But once you get to your homes it is important that you sit back, relax and reflect on why the whole world, except perhaps in close-knit Muslim countries we celebrate Christmas Day. Japan, which is not a Christian country, celebrates Christmas at least in their stores and shops. As we won’t have any columns tomorrow, allow me to write my Christmas article today.
“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. 4 What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; 5 the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 A man named John was sent from God. 7 He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him .11 He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. 12 But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believed in his name, 13 who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth. 15 John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.”
16 From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, 17 because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.
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The gospel for Dec. 25 comes from St. John the beloved disciple and he wrote what is known as “The Prologue” as presented in the New Testament is both “symbolic” and “literary.” As most Bible students know, the first things written about our Lord Jesus Christ was written more than 40 years after our Lord ascended into heaven.
So when John wrote the Prologue he already knew and witnessed the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, especially his gruesome and horrific death where he was the only disciple left standing below the cross. Then all the apostles and disciples saw with their own eyes the resurrected body or our Lord Jesus Christ, whom they touched and broke bread with. This is why St. John’s Prologue gave a summary of the life of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Prologue of St. John is one of the most significant theological passages in the New Testament…as he reveals very clearly “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.”
Indeed, the Prologue of St. John reads like a poem and it clearly states that our Lord Jesus Christ existed from the beginning of time and therefore without any doubt he is a Divine person… the only Son of God the Father. Then St. John added that Jesus, the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us miserable sinners, of whom he came forth as prophesied to be the suffering Messiah. This is one of the intriguing questions that most Christians want to know… why did our Lord Jesus Christ have to die to save us from our sins?
In reading about God’s salvific plan, when Adam and Eve fell from grace and was banished from Paradise, God then promised a savior to redeem mankind. But this promised Messiah really took a very long time to happen. But through the thousands of years, there was no one worthy to redeem humankind. But this did not stop God from fulfilling his promise.
As we wrote last Sunday, the Lord Jesus Christ told his disciples in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Only the Son of God who came into this world through his sinless mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary would be worthy to carry out this sacred task of God the Father. So for this Christmas, even if you’ve been good, be blessed by the ultimate sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ for being destined to be born in order to die for our sins. This is why we must learn to love God the Father and his only son, our Lord Jesus Christ for giving him to us this Christmas Day.
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For email responses to this article, write to vsbobita@mozcom.com or vsbobita@gmail.com. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.