Daily Gospel Reflection for December 31, 2016

Today's Gospel: John 1, 1-18

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” The Incarnation. It’s the focus of so much of our faith, and yet, do we really get it? Is it even humanly possible for us to entirely understand? Lauren Winner writes in her memoir, Girl Meets God, "if we knew what the incarnation meant, we'd be so preoccupied with awe that we wouldn't notice all the shopping."

Christ, the second person of the Trinity, God himself, chose to become human for our sake. Is it too big for us to comprehend? Is it easier to just imagine the human side of the baby Jesus in that manger in Bethlehem? Christmas should be one of the easiest times for us to “visit” that scene in Bethlehem, but are we still looking at it through blinded eyes? Have we let ourselves be distracted by the bustle of all the good things in the “holiday season” that we’ve not taken a moment to reflect on the greater?

We still have a little longer in the Christmas season – let us take advantage of it. And yet, even once Epiphany comes and we move along the liturgical calendar, Christmas is with us year round. If we are Easter people we are just as much Christmas people. John's gospel today tells us "The Word became flesh..." And we echo this every single Sunday: "He came down from heaven and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man." We bow every Sunday in acknowledgement of the Incarnation, but do we take the time to try and reflect upon it, or even to think about what we are saying?

Ponder:

As I close out one calendar year and begin another, what else can I do to stay reminded of the wonder of Christ's Incarnation year round?

Pray:

Lord, grant us new insight into the glory of your Incarnation as we bow in acknowledgment of it week after week.

Alison Jones was received into the fullness of the Catholic Church in 2014. She works as a librarian at a small Christian liberal arts university, and enjoys reading spiritual memoirs and spending time with her Shih-Tzu.