The Word Pitched His Tent Among Us

Homily for Christmas - Mass during the Day

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, . . .” I have probably said this before, but it bears repeating. The original Greek of this passage literally says, “the Word became flesh and pitched his tent among us.” I understand why our modern translation of this passage uses the words “made his dwelling”; the majority of us are, after all, no longer a nomadic people who live in tents. However, I find it interesting that St. John uses a phrase that would apply to most of the people of his time. Our celebration of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ is a celebration of the fact that God has chosen to live in our midst.

I would imagine that many people regard the celebration of Christmas as something of an historical memorial. However, for people of faith, we celebrate a truth that undergirds everything that we believe about Jesus. The Gospel of St. John opens with this truth. Using the same words that open the first book of the Hebrew Scriptures, the book of Genesis, John states unequivocally that “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” For our ancestors, the children of Israel, this fact of God’s dwelling within the people set them apart from all other religions of their time. The various pantheons of the mythological gods and goddesses did not deign to live among their people. The Greek gods and goddesses lived on Mount Olympus while the Roman gods and goddesses lived in the sky or in the underworld. The gods and goddesses of the Nordic people lived in Asgard. The God of Israel, by comparison, chose to live among the people. The mystery of the incarnation takes us one step further as it proclaims that God not only lives among us, God became one of us.

In the Letter to the Hebrews, we read, “In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, God has spoken to us through the Son. The truth is, while the divine person of the son ascended from the earth, since the moment of the incarnation, the Lord has never left us. In his name, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we encounter Christ in Word and Sacrament and in each other – and not just during this season. God dwells among and within us, always and everywhere.

We all know that the Christmas Season is a time of mixed emotions. It is a season of joy and giving, a season of lights and color and sound. It is a season of blessings, of family, of rejoicing. However, it also is a time when sad memories of loved ones lost and memories of better times are cause for depression in some. This is the world into which Jesus came, and imperfect world that is a mix of joy and sorrow, and where people experience wonderful moments and undergo great suffering. Jesus came for all of this, and for all of us.

There is an element of truth to the fact that for many people, Christmas has become a secular holiday. Throughout the last few months, we have been bombarded by advertising and news reporting that accentuates the fact that this is the season of buying and spending. Gift-giving has become an important part of the celebration. As we open each package, let us remember that these tokens are but a reminder of the gift we have all received from God, the gift of God’s very self. As God has been so generous to us, may we, in turn, be generous to one another. As we gaze at the infant in our Christmas crèches, let us give thanks and praise to the God who loves us so much and who shares our very humanity by becoming one of us.