December 26, 2004

The central proclamation of history is: "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. . ." (John 1:14). Sin and death are conquered in the mystery of the Incarnation. St. John makes a great point of this victory: "The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5). At this time of the solar year the physical light is frail and the darkness does indeed seem to overcome it, but the Light of the World is God Himself who made the world and who is seen morally through the light of the intellect and the will. When Christ walked in the world human eyes could see his flesh: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands. . ." (1 John 1:1). Not all who encountered him physically accepted him spiritually. That acceptance came through the gift of faith. In our times, there is much moral darkness, so that lives can seem darkened as much in the bright summer solstice as in the winter solstice. Christ warned against the Prince of Darkness who rejects him. That Prince in our days is even trying to forbid mention of Christ's name and Christ's Mass. It is a seductive trick: Have we ourselves slid into the shadowy diction of saying "Happy Holiday" instead of "Happy Christmas"? Demagogues have long known that souls can be tricked through word engineering, and that euphemisms can cloak the truth. But Christ remains ever "full of grace and truth."

The contrast between the fallen world and the world redeemed is glaring now, and it is a time of testing for souls who were accustomed to a comfortable hint of Catholicism without its radical substance. Show the light to the world, however, and the world will be attracted, because we were made for light and not for dark. The challenge is to show the true light of Christ in our lives by letting Christ be Christ through the grace of the sacraments. Christmas begins and does not end on December 25, and its twelve days are a time to grow in more careful preparation for Communion and more frequent Confession. By these means does the light of Christ grow in the soul. We pray that He will do even more as the parish begins its fiftieth anniversary year. This is certain: God is doing great things even in Murray Hill. As in the earthly years of the Lord, some may be perplexed by God's marvels, for every blessing requires a difficult conversion of the heart. "He came to his own home, and his own people received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become the children of God" (John 1:11-12).

Fr. George W. Rutler