Emmanuel –
God is with us
My dearest brothers and sisters, Happy
Christmas. On that very night of the birth of Christ, the heavens were filled
with Joy, the earth was filled with the glory of God, the angels sang with joy
to the glory of God, the shepherd could not hide their admiration of the
marvellous presence of God, the sheep knelt and welcomed Christ with good cheers,
the stars danced and shined like never before. It was indeed a night of grace.
We have every course to rejoice for the Saviour
has come to visit us again, His name is Emmanuel: God is with us. God has revealed
to us what many prophets, kings and wise men longed to see but could not.
From the time Adam and Eve sinned against God
and became short of the glory and love of God, God started searching for a way
to come close to man again, let us say to restore man to his glory. Through many
ways he revealed himself to the people of old and spoke with them according to
the second reading of today. Through many means he prepared them for the coming
of his son.
Finally, in our own time, the appointed time he
has revealed himself to us and spoken to us through his Son. The birth of
Christ was the fullness of God’s revelation to humanity, the full manifestation
of the love and glory of God to men. The manifestation of the light that
dispels the darkness of sin and death.
With the birth of Christ, God has broken the
reign of sin, he has dispelled the power of darkness and restored us back to
his friendship. We have become his loving Children once more.
My dearest people, Christ now lives in our midst.
God, in the birth of His Son, took flesh and lived among us. This is the
mystery of Incarnation. He is no longer far from our reach. He has come down
from heaven to be close to all of us. He is living with you, he is living with
me. His name is Emmanuel, God is with us.
If he is close to us, it means he will feel what
we feel and know our problems too. Let us not be afraid to call him our brother
and also invite him in our lives.
But in the Gospel of today, John told us that
He came to his people and his people didn’t welcome him. Could it be true that
there are some people among us who still find it very difficult to welcome
Christ into their private lives? Are there people who still prefer to live
according to their own designs and not according to the teaching of Christ? We reject
Christ when we hate other people; we reject Christ when we fail to forgive
others; we reject Christ when we open ourselves to sin. This Christmas gives
such people a great opportunity to change their hearts and welcome Christ, the
light and joy of the world.
The Gospel equally told us that to those who
accepted him, he gave the power to become the sons and daughters of God. Dearest
brothers and sisters, Christ is knocking at the door of your hearts. His name
is Emmanuel – God is with us. He wants to be with you. He wants to make you
heir to the kingdom of God. Happy Christmas to you all.
Fr. Isaac C. Chima
#Christmas
#ChimaIsaac
Image from: That baby in the manger is God! Immanuel – For the Love of His Truth
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