Corpus Christi Blog

Christ at the center

12-27-2015HomiliesFr. Chad King

Merry Christmas, everyone.  Yes it is still the Christmas season for one more week.  In this season all people are invited to begin to uncover the mystery of who Jesus Christ is in His fullness.  Indeed Jesus Christ is a mystery.  A couple of days ago, we celebrated in faith that Jesus, who is the eternal Son of God, the fulfillment of all the prophets in the Old Testament, the Messiah, and the Christ, was sent by God the Father to become a human baby who will eventually save his people.  And today the mystery of God’s plan of salvation continues as we highlight the fact that God chose to carry out this plan by means of a family- the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph. 

Our Gospel today is so rich in foreshadowing and discovering who Christ fully is.   In our Gospel, we flash forward 12 years into Jesus’ life when the good Jewish parents, Joseph and Mary, took their Son Jesus, though who already is the Son of God, to the Temple to present Him to God His Father.  And so ironically, through this Christmas and Gospel today, the mystery of who Jesus is becomes a little clearer, and as the mystery of who Jesus is is unraveled in our hearts, our identity and our families become who they are meant to be- holy. 

A family is a special bond of relationships through which we find our identity.  While on this earth we are a son or daughter, a brother or sister, a parent, grandparent, uncle, and so on, through the relationships of our family.  Our identity as such only makes sense through the relationships in each of our families.  For good or for bad, the relationships closest to us make us family.  However, the success of each of our families becoming Holy depends on our relationship with this little baby who is the Almighty Son of God.  This point struck me ever since this Nativity scene that you see in front of the altar was put up a week ago.  Let me share with you some of these reflections, and let the fullness and truth of who Jesus is, lead you and your family closer to the image of the Holy Family.  For those of you who are in the back and can't see it, I trust you have seen other nativity scenes and so can imagine what I describe.

A little over a week ago when the scene was first put up I looked at the empty crib in the center, and it looked well, empty.  Like something was missing.  There was an emptiness in the scene, without it the scene does not make sense. With this void in the center, all the people and relationships around does not make sense.  Notice in this scene, the shepherd and wise men walking towards the crib ready to give their treasures, but what they are doing looks strange if Jesus isn't there.  Who are they bringing their gifts to?  People would think they were fools to travel all that way with expensive gifts but to find no one special.  Look at Mary stooped down over the crib, and Joseph standing on the other side.  And who is the Angel bowing to?  They all sure look silly even strange if Jesus is not in the picture, don't they?  Notice too that if Jesus was there but was just some ordinary baby, if there was nothing special about Him, if Jesus was not God become human, again they would all be fools and their actions meaningless.  But notice if Jesus is the Son of God and was there in the center, then all the people around him makes sense.  Everything they are doing has a purpose.  Mary, his mother, caring for her newborn.  Joseph, the foster father, with love in his eyes, protecting his family.  The Angel bowing to her Lord who became human.  The shepherds and wise men bringing their expensive gifts, all their actions make sense if Jesus is the Son of God come down to earth.

Indeed, if Christ is not in our lives, there is an emptiness there.  There is a void in our hearts if Christ is not in the center.  St. Augustine said it best, our hearts are restless until they rest of God.  I think back in my life in high school when Christ was not in the center, how I was just going through the motions in life, playing sports and doing what I thought would make me happy.  Oh I had faith, but God was certainly not in the center.  I really did not have a personal relationship with God or know personally how much God loves me.  If someone were to ask me what I was living for back then, I guess I would say myself and my happiness.  Although as I was living for myself and own happiness, I remember I was wanting to give myself to something greater, something more meaningful.  Perhaps you have felt or feel the same and so know what I'm talking about.  If you feel a void in your life, if you are searching for meaning and a reason for your existence and happiness, then trust me when I say putting Jesus in the center will bring the meaning and happiness we long for.  Ask him, invite him to come into the center of your life.

Indeed, all our actions here and now makes sense in light of Christ.  Think what all the atheists who do not believe in God would think of our faith in God when to Mass to worship Him, they think we are fools and our actions are in vain and worthless, like these people in the empty manger scene.  However, God does exist and His love for us is so real and complete that He did become human in order to save us, thus everything we do does make sense and the atheists are fools.  Our coming here to Church on this sacred day to give thanks and praise to God, makes perfect sense.  The calling to mind of our sins and human weakness makes sense if directed to God who in His love has come to save us and set us free.  The offering our treasures in the collection, just like the wise men, in this and every Mass makes sense.  And not only does it make sense, but giving of ourselves is the very least we can do to give thanks to the God who has given His whole self for us. 

Finally, not only do our actions make sense if Jesus is indeed the Son of God come to save mankind, but so do the existence of the animals in this Nativity scene.  I don't think I've ever thought about why there is a donkey, a bull or cow, and a lamb in the manger scenes.  We can think of the donkey as being what Jesus, the King, triumphantly rides into Jerusalem. Whereas, the bull was a false god that the people in the Old Testament worshiped, or we can think of the golden calf the Israelites made and gave themselves to.  So the bull represents the sin that Jesus, the Son of God, came to destroy and root out of our lives.  And the Lamb represents how He does it.  In the Old Testament, God's people were to kill and eat a lamb every Passover celebration for the forgiveness of their sins.  And the Jews believed the Messiah would come into the world as the new Passover Lamb.  Thus for this reason, at the Last Passover celebration, Jesus, Himself as the final Passover Lamb, told his good Jewish disciples to take and eat, "this is my body, this is my blood offered for you".  And that is why at every Mass, in faith in Jesus' Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist, we echo the words of John the Baptist, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world", which is also enscribed in our Altar for a constant reminder.  May we here in this and every Mass, behold and receive the Lamb of God who takes away our sins.

My brothers and sisters, all of us, like the people, and even the animals in this Nativity scene, have a purpose, but our lives only make sense if Jesus is in the center.  Let us always live our lives with Jesus in the center too.   In just a few minutes, as we begin our offering, we’ll offer from our treasures, may we also offer in faith our lowly, weak, and sinful hearts.  May we all invite Jesus into the center of our hearts, and pray that as the bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ for our salvation, that we too may be transformed and place Jesus into the center so that all our families and relationships can make sense and become holy, in image of the Holy Family.

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