December 24, 2010
Christmas Vigil
“Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel, which means God with us.”
My brothers, as we celebrate tonight as a community, the gift of Jesus’ birth into the world, we are called to reflect deeply on the fact that God is in our midst. With intensity, profundity, intimacy, God’s love is made real, one with humanity in the person of his son Jesus. God among us in the person of Jesus lifts high the dignity of our humanity. We are called to love and respect all, especially for those considered as the least of our brothers and sisters. That’s what the Lord calls us to, as we celebrate tonight.
We heard not too long ago Jesus speaking of John the Baptist. There was no greater man born of woman than John the Baptist, and yet, and yet, the little ones are greater than all, greater than he and greater than all that have gone before him or come after him. Jesus indicates this not only by his words, but his actions in reaching out to the marginalized throughout the whole of his public ministry.
Today we are asked to reflect on and celebrate the beauty of humanity revealed to us by God” who dwelt among us.” As part of the human race it is our duty to respond in love by promoting the beauty and goodness of humanity. We as Vincentians do so in our oneness with those who live in poverty. In the spirit of John the Baptist, may we diminish and Christ increase as we love with even a bit of that same intensity, profundity, and intimacy that God has loved us.
God is in our midst, my brothers. The genealogy shows God’s desire to be united to humanity. It itself is an unfolding of human history, a humanity that is strong and weak, rich and poor, gifted and broken at the same time. God so chose to be intimately bound up with our human life and history. The greatest manifestation of God’s presence is in the little ones.
The intensity, the profundity and the intimacy of God’s love is spelled in out in the first text from the prophet Isaiah where he speaks of the relationship between God and humanity as a relationship between two loved ones.
The prophet clearly states, “the Lord delights in you. ”Il Signore troverà in te la sua delizia.” Again, that tender love is expressed as the prophet says, “Your God rejoices over you.” “Il tuo Dio gioirà per te.” That concreteness of God’s tender love that is intense, profound and intimate comes through in the simple telling of the story of Jesus’ birth. Born of a woman called Mary; betrothed to a man called Joseph; and blessed with the gift of life through the Holy Spirit. God choosing to be intimately united with us as human beings. And God’s name shall be called Emmanuel, God with us.
A joyful Christmas to you, my brothers, and a peace-filled new year as we live out our call to follow Jesus Christ evangelizing and serving the poor with the rest of our brothers in the Congregation of the Mission and our sisters and brothers in the Vincentian Family.
What a wonder it is, what a privilege we have to honor and love God in honoring and loving those who are poor.
Tags: Christmas, Superior, Vigil
