“The Gospel Incarnate”
December 29, 2013
The 1st
Sunday of the Christian Season of Theophany/Christmas
(5th
Day of Theophany/Christmas)
Isaiah 61: 10 - 62: 3/Psalm 147: 12 – 20/Galatians 3: 23 - 25; 4: 4 –
7/John 1: 1 - 18
His Excellency
The Most Reverend Ariel Cornelio P. Santos D.D.
of the
Archdiocese of Manila
the
National Church in the Philippines
and the
Territorial Church of Asia
International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church
Merry Christmas! When I
was child, Advent started around September 1. When I say Advent, it means
the drumbeating and the anticipation starts on September 1 for Christmas.
Radio stations start playing Christmas songs. The decorations would be put up
by November. Come December 1, it shifts to higher gear. There was a
little climate change where the cool climate came in earlier then.
As children, we were
excited then. We live in a row of apartments and in our neighborhood, all of
the families living in the apartments would always have Christmas and New
Year’s Eve parties. I remember that the saddest day of the year was
December 26 because it was the end of Christmas. If you have no
understanding, you will sad; but if you are excited about Christmas, imagine
how much happier you will be if you multiply your excitement by twelve
days. What about multiplying it by 365 days?
This is what Christmas
really is. God becoming flesh that man no more may die. Another
Christmas song says, “Man will live forevermore because of Christmas
day.” God became flesh that we would again have life. Life is
not physically breathing; life is not having a job, having friends, family and
an education. Life, according to the Author of life is knowing Him.
Jesus said, “This is eternal life to know you, the only true God, and Christ,
you Son.” This is the life that you have 365 days a year 24/7 and this is
the reason for the Incarnation.
It is not so that we
can put our Christmas lights a few days a year. Not so that we can have
Noche Buena and have reunions. Not so that we can, for many, wear our
leather jackets or sweaters to Advent Hour. This is not so that we can
shop because we receive bonuses. Not so that children can have
toys. Those are all good, but they are merely expressions of the ultimate
expression of God’s love. The purpose for which is so that you and I can
live forevermore. So that you and I can have Christmas every single day
with God.
The reason He was made
flesh and dwelt among us. He doesn’t only come only on the 25th of December. Christ came and
pitched His tent so that every day we can spend with Him. This, my
brothers and sisters, is Christmas. This is the reason God became flesh
so that He can dwell among us. So that we may have life in Him and that
once again, we can be restored back to the truth of our creation, and be like
Him again. Man fell, man sinned and the image and the
likeness of God was marred. As our Church Fathers said, “God became man
so that man, once again, may become like God, living an everlasting life.”
This is what Christmas is: God fulfilling His promise of
restoring His creation back to life. It is fulfilling the promise of
restoration.
Isaiah 60 talks about
how that we should arise and shine for the glory of the Lord has risen upon
us. In the Daily Office Canticle entitled, “Surge Illuminare” it
says, “Arise, shine, for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is
risen upon you.” Read Isaiah 60 and go on through chapter
61-62. It is exciting because it is the truth of what God has done for
us. It talks about how that darkness will cover the earth and deep
darkness the peoples, but over you the Lord will arise and His glory shall be
seen upon you. Nations will stream to your light, which God has given,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.”
This Canticle also
skips certain verses of Isaiah 60. It says that foreigners will serve
you. Just the other day, I saw a Korean family in my village with
Filipino helpers. I asked my wife, “Can you imagine us living in
the United States of America and we have Americans for helpers?” This is
what is happening here. This is what Isaiah 60 says. Foreigners
will serve you and you will suck the milk of nations and you suck the breasts
of kings. It is talking about the blessing of the wealth and the riches of
nations available to you because God has blessed you.
Christ, the second
Adam, has reinstated us in His love. This is what the Incarnation has
done: reinstated us in His love, and so, our perspective must be the pre-fall
Garden of Eden. It is as if the fall did not happen. This is the
fullness of what is available to us today. We haven’t been
experiencing the fullness because we are still learning to go back to Eden and
live it out. It doesn’t mean the fullness is not available. It is
available. Eternal life is here now, for the taking, for the living
because Christ was born that man no more may die. The prosperity, the
abundance, the life have been restored to us. We need to learn to
live eternal life again.
God, in Christ, has
restored us to His love. Galatians 3:22 says, “But the Scripture has shut
up all men under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given
to those who believe.” In another Epistle, St. Paul says that God has
shut up all in disobedience so that He might show mercy to all. In Adam,
all sinned – Jew, Greek, son of Abraham or daughter of Abraham. Everyone
sinned, but all have been shut up under sin so that we can been given life and
be shown mercy.
Galatians 3:23, “But
before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law, being shut up to the
faith which was later to be revealed.” There is this debate and this
question: now that we are Christians, now that we are not under the Law
anymore, is the Law still important? Galatians says that the Law
serves as our tutor; our guardian. Think of a
“yaya”. A “yaya” is somebody who is a guardian of little children.
Little children need to be trained. Little children do not flush the
toilet after they use it. They don’t know how to use the bathroom.
They would probably wet the floor. They need to learn to aim where they need
to aim. They probably use the faucet and the sink would get wet all
over. They need to go and sit and do their thing. They need to wipe
themselves and clean up. The toilet is there to catch what it needs to
catch. Afterward, it needs to be flushed.
Among the many things,
this is what the child needs to learn. When eating, he needs to use utensils
and to keep his food in the plate. This is why he has a guardian – a
parent or a “yaya.” St. Paul says that a son is no different than a slave
until he reaches that age where he is responsible and fully a son. When
that time comes, he no longer needs a tutor.
I ask you, “If you let
go of your child’s “yaya,” do you expect him to wipe himself? Do you
expect him to flush the toilet after he uses it? Do you expect a 15-year
old son to be able to eat by himself? Now, that he no longer has a
“yaya,” does he need to wash his hands? Does he need to wipe
himself? Does he need to flush the toilet?” Yes! Those are
all good things. Those were the things he was trained to do by a
guardian. When we become mature sons, it doesn’t mean we forget what we
learn, what we are trained by, what we are trained for, and what we are trained
to do. We don’t forget them. We just need no more supervision, but
we are still expected to obey the rules because the rules are good. The
rules show respect for our parents.
Is the Law
obsolete? It is not! The Law came from God, and the Law
remains. Now, the Law is not imposed on us. Now, the Law is in our
hearts and we voluntarily obey the Law. Now, when we eat, we don't want our
food on our lap falling on our clothes or on the floor. We don't want to
leave the toilet not flushed because we don't want the person before us to
forget to do that. They are good things and they are expressions of
respect and love for the owner of the house. The Law is not bad; it is
good. It is for our training and obeying the Law that expresses our love
for God. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will obey My commandments.”
The Law is important.
God is the Author of the Law. God has shut up all in disobedience because
we are still are groping and learning to fully follow the rules in God’s
house. While shutting up all in disobedience, He gave each one a measure
of faith so that we can use that faith in believing in Christ which would save
us from our sins if we do. This is because the gifts and the callings of God
are irrevocable. His calling and His creation of us is for us to have
life. This is irrevocable. He will do anything to restore that.
Isaiah says, “For
Zion’s sake, I will not keep silent. I will not stop until all these
things are restored to her. Until I have wrapped a robe of righteousness
around her. Until these things that I have promised of abundance, of life, of
prosperity, of communion with God are all fulfilled and I will give My all.”
Christ did give His all. He stripped Himself of all the glory and the
privileges of heaven and subjected Himself to helplessness, dependence, and
being wrapped in cloth and diapers and being wiped; having to grow up and
learning to walk.
On the very same earth,
He created, being trained by the people He created. He was willing to
subject Himself to these things. This is so that you and I may live forever and
that we may die no more. It is all His doing. By His doing, we are
in Christ Jesus. The gospel said, “Not of blood nor of the will of the
flesh nor the will of man, but of God.”
Isaiah says, “For unto
us a Child is born. Unto us a Son is given and the government will rest on His
shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal
Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His
government or of peace.” He will not stop; He will not be silent for our
sake. This is how much He loves us. When the fullness of time came,
He did this. A Child was born unto us. Hallelujah, unto us a Child is
born! This is how much He loves us because His timing and His will are
always perfect.
We are no longer under
the Law because we have been redeemed from it. All of it is so that we
can appreciate His love for us and our relationship with Him. It is not
about sin. Sin is no big deal. Sin was just biting into the fruit. Man failed;
man sinned, but never was man beyond God's reach. Never at any point and
at any time. This is how big our God is. This is how big His love
is which is His nature.
We say sometimes in the
liturgy that we became enemies of God. We never became enemies at any
time. God is infinite. You go down to Sheol, you go down to hell,
He is right there. He emptied the place because He never considered us
enemies. Scriptures says, “While we were yet enemies,” because this is
how we acted against Him but He never considered us His enemies because His
love was never short of restoring us. This is the love of God.
The reason for the
Incarnation was to fulfill God's promise of life to all. This true life
enlightens every man. We, in the Church, as baptized Christians are no
more special than He who is not yet baptized. It is just a matter of time
because He will. not keep silent until that one sheep, which is
lost, is found. His true light enlightens men. The only thing is
that they don’t know it yet. This is why you and I have been baptized
first so that we can tell them the good news.
“Of His fullness, we
have all received and grace upon grace.” He was incarnate so that He can
be offered as a Lamb to take away the sin of the world. Do not begin to
say to yourselves, “We are sons of Abraham. We have an apostolic
lineage.” He has shown mercy to all after He has shut all in
disobedience. The Law was given through Moses but the grace and
truth were realized through Christ. It is all by God’s grace.
Eventually, all will know God, through Christ. Christ was the fullness
and is still the fullness of the Godhead.
In John 1, Christ is
called the Word. In Greek, it is “logos.” The meaning of
which is: word; idea; concept; thought; and all the expressions thereof and
involved in all of those. He is the only reasonable explanation to the
existence, to the nature, to the love of God. He is the logical reason,
the only thing that makes sense that explains Him. John says that
the only begotten God was in the bosom of the Father and He has explained
Him. He is the fullness of who God is.
When Philip asked
Jesus, “Show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to
Him, “How can you say that? He who has seen Me has seen the Father. How
can you say ‘Show us the Father?’ You want to see the Father, look at Me.
Look at what I do. Look at how I live. Look at the manner I
walk.” Christ is the fullness of the Godhead, of the Father.
I say this: the
Church is His body, the fullness of Him. How I pray that when the time
comes, when the world asks us, “Show us the Christ,” and we, the Church, would
be able to say to the world, “He who has seen us has seen Christ.” We are
the fullness of Christ. “Look at us and see Christ.” When they
sing, “Open my eyes, Lord, I want to see Jesus,” we say, “Look at us! We may
not have silver and gold, but such as we have, the life of Christ and His
fullness, we show unto you and we share with you and we give to you.”
This is the reason
Christ was first born. Now, He has shared His life with us so that we
also can share the life that we have received from Him. The Incarnation
does not debase divinity. Whenever you give, nothing is taken away from
you. It never diminished God’s being God. It only elevated
humanity. Actually, the Incarnation not only did not diminish God, but it
confirmed who God is because it is the ultimate expression of the essence and
the nature of God, which is love. This is in effect; this is at
work every time we give. It doesn’t take away from us, but it elevates
the object or the receiver of our gift.
God, in the
Incarnation, gave of Himself. It did not debase His divinity. It
did not diminish or take away from His divinity. It confirmed it and at
the same time it elevated humanity. When we give, it is never in
vain; and we don’t lose. We are not diminished. Nothing is
subtracted from us. It only confirms that God’s nature, which is ever
giving and ever blessing, is in us; plus, the recipient is also blessed!
This is Incarnation –
love in its uttermost expression. Greater love has no one than this, but
that One giving His life for another. We are His Church, the fullness of
Him who fills all in all. We should be able to say to the world, “See His
glory come down. See the New Jerusalem. Right here, in us.”
This is not in arrogance, but in truth because we walk it.
Jesus said, “I make all
things new.” I wonder, “Could it be that through His Body, the
Church, talking about new world, new heavens and new earth, it is Christ who is
seated at the right hand of God?” Yet His Body is right here and He makes
all things new. How else is this but through His church who also has been
renewed? For us and for our salvation, He came down from heaven.
Our salvation is spending a life with Him. Not one day in December every year;
not even twelve days, but throughout the year, everyday. Remember, He
gave to us so that we can give the same life that He gave to us to others, so
that others also may know that they are also called to adoption as sons.
This is what Jesus
became incarnate for. This is the way it is in the kingdom of our God.
LET US CONTINUE OUR REFLECTION
WITH
HIS EMINENCE, THE MOST REVEREND LUIS ANTONIO "CHITO" GOKIM TAGLE D.D.
ARCHBISHOP OF MANILA,
AND
OF THE PHILIPPINES
THROUGH
THE WORD EXPOSED
