From the Gospel according to John

1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.

A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him.

But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believe in his name,
who were born not by natural generation
nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision
but of God.

And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only-begotten Son,
full of grace and truth.

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.’”
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father’s side,
has revealed him.

A God Who Allows Himself to Be Held

In recent days we have been reading, in a simple way, how the birth of Jesus came about: a journey to Bethlehem, a manger, the announcement to the shepherds… Today, the Prologue of Saint John may seem to distance us from that event, but in truth this beautiful Gospel widens our horizon in a striking way. It brings us into contact with what is transcendent, with what our eyes cannot see: with the Creator God who becomes a creature, defenceless and dependent on everything.

It is a revelation that surrounds us and places us before the greatest mystery of all: God has wanted to enter my life in order to give me His own. Praying with this Gospel leads me to silence, to wonder, to adoration… my heart is enlarged; each word seems to come from on high and, at the same time, reaches the very depths of my being, awakening the desire to welcome this God who comes as a baby.

Lord, this year that ends today we place in Your merciful hands; the one that begins, in Your providence. We choose to focus on welcoming You and loving You each day with all our heart. Everything is Yours, Lord — we give You everything: our present, our past, and our future. You have come to give us grace upon grace, Your very divine Life, and we wish to receive it.

Brought into Married Life:

Michael: Paula, help me a bit, because today I found the Gospel hard to understand. It felt rather abstract, although there was one phrase that really touched my heart: that God came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. That’s powerful, isn’t it? What if that happens to us? What does it mean for you to receive God?

Paula: Well, I’m no theologian either, but… welcoming God must translate into something concrete in our life. Otherwise, what would be the point of God becoming man to save us and enlighten us, if we then live as if nothing had happened? It’s like believing in the light but keeping the windows shut…

Michael: But could you make it a bit more precise? How do we open the windows?

Paula: For example, by asking ourselves: how do we respond when people speak badly of us, or ignore us, or when we face slander or lies? In those moments, how do we act? Because if we have truly welcomed God into our hearts, then He dwells within us, and it will be He who speaks through us, who looks through us… He is the one who responds. He wants to use our hands, our eyes, our voice — to embrace, to smile, to forgive…

Michael: Well then, receiving God really does mean a before and an after in life…

Paula: Absolutely! Because “to all who received Him, He gave power to become children of God.” I find that astonishing!

Michael: Wait — I’ll bring a glass of wine and you can carry on telling me…

(Michael and Paula spent that afternoon at home by the Nativity scene, peacefully talking and reflecting on the things of God and what this great event meant for them.)

Mother,

Tomorrow a new year begins. We do not know what it will be like, but we do know that God is with us. We want to live each day within your Immaculate Heart and bring the Child Jesus to so many married couples who do not receive Him because they do not yet know Him. Praise be to this Child who comes to visit us!