'In all truth I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone; but when it dies it bears much fruit' (John 11:24)
These were the words of the Word made Flesh, when he announced to his disciples his forthcoming Passion and glorification.
Jesus always spoke in terms familiar to those around him. He refers often to seeds and harvest, because those were the things the people of Palestine knew about. They were accustomed to about four harvests a year and knew well the importance of sowing seed and growing a good crop.
Mary heard the Word. She nurtured it in her heart and the seed of the Word was planted in her womb. The single seed of the Word of God grew and developed in her womb and was brought forth - the Word made Flesh - for the salvation of mankind. Jesus Emmanuel - God with us, to save us. Mary is the rich soil in which the seed is sown to bring forth a plentiful harvest. But in order for the harvest to be plentiful, the grain of wheat had to fall and die.
Is it possible then, to contemplate the Infant Jesus and the Holy Family without also remembering the Suffering Servant? Can we remember the gift of Life without also calling to mind the Passion and death of the Son of God?
'Do not be afraid. Look, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.' And all at once with the angel there was a great throng of the hosts of heaven, praising God with the words:
Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those he favours.' (Luke2: 10-14)
'A baby wrapped in swaddling clothes'. This is how the Lord humbled himself for us. Can you imagine anything more vulnerable than a newborn babe, totally dependent on those around him to supply his needs?
'Make your own the mind of Christ Jesus: who being in the form of God did not count equality with God something to be grasped. But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are…' (Phillipians 2:6)
The Word was indeed made flesh and dwelt among us and to those who would accept him, he gave power to become children of God. Such was his mission, to sacrifice and to give - to sacrifice himself to give us the opportunity to choose Life.
'Look, my servant will prosper, will grow great, will rise to great heights.
As many people were aghast at him, he was so inhumanly disfigured that he no longer looked like a man……he had no form to attract us, no beauty to win our hearts; he was despised, the lowest of men, a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering, one from whom as it were, we averted our gaze, despised, for whom we had no regard.
Yet ours were the sufferings he was bearing, ours the sorrows he was carrying, while we thought of him as someone being punished and struck with affliction by God; whereas he was being wounded for our rebellions, crushed because of our guilt; the punishment reconciling us fell on him, and we have been healed by his bruises.
We had all gone astray like sheep, each taking his own way, and Yahweh brought the acts of rebellion of all of us to bear on him.
Ill-treated and afflicted, he never opened his mouth.' (Isaiah 52:13-53:7)
And we have been healed by his bruises. This is the good news. The victory is already won. We are already healed by the sufferings of Christ. The healing power of his Passion is eternal - the salvific power is for all time.
And being in every way like a human being he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross. And for this God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acknowledge
Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' (Phillipians 2:6-11)
The name Jesus contains all: God and man and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray 'Jesus' is to invoke him and to call him within us. His name is the only one that contains the presence it signifies. Jesus is the Risen One, and whoever invokes the name of Jesus is welcoming the Son of God who loved him and who gave himself up for him. (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2666)
Now the hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified.
In all truth I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains only a single grain, but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest. (John 12:23)
These were the words of the Word made Flesh, when he announced to his disciples his forthcoming Passion and glorification.
Jesus always spoke in terms familiar to those around him. He refers often to seeds and harvest, because those were the things the people of Palestine knew about. They were accustomed to about four harvests a year and knew well the importance of sowing seed and growing a good crop.
Mary heard the Word. She nurtured it in her heart and the seed of the Word was planted in her womb. The single seed of the Word of God grew and developed in her womb and was brought forth - the Word made Flesh - for the salvation of mankind. Jesus Emmanuel - God with us, to save us. Mary is the rich soil in which the seed is sown to bring forth a plentiful harvest. But in order for the harvest to be plentiful, the grain of wheat had to fall and die.
Is it possible then, to contemplate the Infant Jesus and the Holy Family without also remembering the Suffering Servant? Can we remember the gift of Life without also calling to mind the Passion and death of the Son of God?
'Do not be afraid. Look, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.' And all at once with the angel there was a great throng of the hosts of heaven, praising God with the words:
Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those he favours.' (Luke2: 10-14)
'A baby wrapped in swaddling clothes'. This is how the Lord humbled himself for us. Can you imagine anything more vulnerable than a newborn babe, totally dependent on those around him to supply his needs?
'Make your own the mind of Christ Jesus: who being in the form of God did not count equality with God something to be grasped. But he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming as human beings are…' (Phillipians 2:6)
The Word was indeed made flesh and dwelt among us and to those who would accept him, he gave power to become children of God. Such was his mission, to sacrifice and to give - to sacrifice himself to give us the opportunity to choose Life.
'Look, my servant will prosper, will grow great, will rise to great heights.
As many people were aghast at him, he was so inhumanly disfigured that he no longer looked like a man……he had no form to attract us, no beauty to win our hearts; he was despised, the lowest of men, a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering, one from whom as it were, we averted our gaze, despised, for whom we had no regard.
Yet ours were the sufferings he was bearing, ours the sorrows he was carrying, while we thought of him as someone being punished and struck with affliction by God; whereas he was being wounded for our rebellions, crushed because of our guilt; the punishment reconciling us fell on him, and we have been healed by his bruises.
We had all gone astray like sheep, each taking his own way, and Yahweh brought the acts of rebellion of all of us to bear on him.
Ill-treated and afflicted, he never opened his mouth.' (Isaiah 52:13-53:7)
And we have been healed by his bruises. This is the good news. The victory is already won. We are already healed by the sufferings of Christ. The healing power of his Passion is eternal - the salvific power is for all time.
And being in every way like a human being he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on a cross. And for this God raised him high and gave him the name which is above all other names so that all beings in the heavens, on earth and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acknowledge
Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.' (Phillipians 2:6-11)
The name Jesus contains all: God and man and the whole economy of creation and salvation. To pray 'Jesus' is to invoke him and to call him within us. His name is the only one that contains the presence it signifies. Jesus is the Risen One, and whoever invokes the name of Jesus is welcoming the Son of God who loved him and who gave himself up for him. (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2666)
Now the hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified.
In all truth I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains only a single grain, but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest. (John 12:23)
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