Villa la Paz Newsletter December 2011

Incarnation: Christian Theol. effectuation of the hypostatic union through the conception of the second person of the Trinity in the womb of the Virgin Mary

hypostasis: Christian Theol. the union of the wholly divine nature and of a wholly human nature in the one person of Jesus Christ (in full hypostatic union)

kenosis: Christian Theol. the voluntary abasement of the second person of the Trinity in becoming man
Webster’s New World Dictionary
Third College Edition

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came to be through Him, and without Him nothing came to be.What came to be
4 through Him was life, and this life was the light of the human race,
5 the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory of the Father’s only Son full of grace and truth.
John 1:1-5, 14

She looks into the face of the baby. Her son. Her Lord. His Majesty. At this point in history, the human being who best understands who God is and what He is doing is a teenage girl in a smelly stable. She can’t take her eyes off Him. Somehow Mary knows she is holding God. So this is He. She remembers the words of the angel, “His kingdom will never end.” He looks like anything but a king. His face is prunish and red. His cry, though strong and healthy, is still the helpless and piercing cry of a baby. And He is absolutely dependent on Mary for His well-being. Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of a teenager and in the presence of a carpenter. She touches the face of the infant-God.
Max Lucrado
God Came Near

What is the true meaning of Christmas? It has different meanings for different persons. For merchants it can be a time of bonanza when their wares fly off the shelves and their bank accounts swell. For parents it usually means agonizing over which gifts to buy their children and worrying if they can afford them. For children Christmas means gifts, especially for a much hoped-for gift that they have been hinting to their parents about. For families it means coming together over meals and parties, reminiscing about past years, absent loved ones and simply enjoying each other’s company. These meanings of Christmas are laudable and understandable but are peripheral to the central meaning of Christmas which can be summed up in one word-love. The love of a God who was so enamored of His created children that He became one of them in a total self-emptying act of surrender. The Creator became created in the womb of a poor teenager in the backwaters of an insignificant country under foreign domination. An astounding occurrence which should fill us with more joy than the gifts, parties and dinners so prevalent during but not centric to Christmas. The implications of the Incarnation are so profound and ethereal that they cannot be fully understood in this life. That the Infinite became finite, the Omnipotent became helpless, the Omniscient reduced to communicating through crying is beyond our comprehension and is the surest proof that we are loved unconditionally with an infinite love. And the love which motivated the Incarnation has been infused into each one of us for the purpose of transmitting it to others, to serve others, to see God incarnate in others.

When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with the flocks, then the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal those broken in spirit, to feed the hungry, to release the oppressed, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among all peoples, to make a little music with the heart… and to radiate the Light of Christ, every day in every way, in all that we do and in all that we say. Then the work of Christmas begins.
Howard Thurman

At Christmas we see Jesus as a little babe, helpless and poor. And He came to love and be loved. How can we love Jesus in the world today? By loving Him in my husband, my wife, my children, my brothers and sisters, my parents, my neighbors and the poor. Let us gather around the poor crib in Bethlehem and make a strong resolution that we will love Jesus in all those we meet every day.
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Our children and most of the children of the world are paradigms of the Incarnation. They come into the world poor, helpless and totally dependent on us for their well-being. They manifest an unconditional love and, even in illness, communicate joy and a zest for life. They are the true manifestations of a God who deigned to become one of them.

I want to end this newsletter with a prayer by Blessed Pope John XXIII who himself was born in a large and very poor Italian family. May this prayer guide us during the Christmas Season and in the coming year.

Child of Bethlehem, grant that we may share with all our hearts in this profound mystery of Christmas. Put into our hearts this peace for which we sometimes seek so desperately and which you alone can give us. Help us to know one another better and live as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father. Reveal to us also your beauty, holiness and purity. Awaken in our hearts love and gratitude for your infinite goodness. Join us all together in your love, and give us your heavenly peace.

We thank you for sharing your gifts with us and making the care of our children possible. We wish you a Blessed Christmas and Fulfilling New Year. We love you and wish you God’s peace.