Reflection on the Vigil of the Nativity of the Lord

This evening, we begin our celebration of the incarnation, God’s choice to live in our midst in the person of Jesus. What a wonderful gift to us. But I would like to look at the incarnation from another angle. I invite you to close your eyes if you wish and go back in time 13.7 billion years ago to where there was nothing, no light, no universe, only total darkness. Suddenly there is an explosion, a bursting forth of energy and light, God’s energy, God’s love because God is love. Scientists call this the Big Bang. Without God’s energy/love there would be nothing, and we would not know God because we only know God through creation, through what we can see. It is as though God could no longer contain such immense love within God’s self and had to share it with all creation. 

That burst of energy generated particles of matter which began to merge together into the various elements like light, water and soil. Notice that these small particles work together to form substances. Plant life begins, tiny creatures emerge from the water and creep out onto the land, animals begin to develop and, finally, humans come on the scene. Humans are unique in that they are conscious of their own existence and intelligent enough to manage it, unlike animals that act on instinct.

To me, the most amazing part of creation is the way all of these things come about because those tiny particles relate to and unite with each other. A prime example is in your own formation as human beings. Each person in this room started out life with two very small cells. Those cells multiplied quickly and each one knew what it had to do – this group comes together to form the heart; other groups form the liver or brain or facial features. Each of us is basically a bundle of quarks, protons, electrons and atoms, each of which knows what it is supposed to do and keeps us moving.

 This array of cells working together is characteristic of all of nature – trees, soil, mountains, birds, clouds, elephants. Add to that planets, stars and hundreds of galaxies in space. We can learn a lot from Mother Nature about relationships and working together.

So right about now you must be asking yourself why the science lesson on Christmas Eve.  It is important because science now gives us a totally different picture of creation than that which our ancestors described in Scripture, and it changes the way we see God. I grew up with a God who was out there in the heavens somewhere, taking notes on who is naughty or nice, not a God who is right here, within you and me, a God who surrounds us on every side. Barbara Taylor Brown, a contemporary theologian, describes it this way: “Where is God in this picture? God is all over the place. God is up there, inside                             my skin and out. God is the web, the energy, the space, the light – (not captured in concepts and dogmas,) – but revealed in the singular vast net of relationships that animates everything that is.”

If God is already totally immersed in our lives, where does Jesus fit in? Jesus is God’s special gift to us, a teacher sent to show us a better way to live. His relationship with God was deep, and manifested early in his life when as a young boy he was found questioning the religious leaders in the temple. He prepared for his mission by spending time with God in the desert, and he often went aside to be alone with God during his public life.

What did he teach us? He taught us two basic commandments, to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. He set the example by reaching out to people on the edge of society like tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, but also to the rich, poor, women, men, basically everyone. The religious authorities did not condone his behavior because it went against their power over the people. His popularity with the people was a threat to them. Eventually they got rid of him. Jesus knew what he was getting into, but was willing to keep at it, knowing it could cost him his life. That was how much he loved us.

Finally, we ask, where do we fit in? We are asked to love as Jesus did. We are asked only to be the best that we can be by loving and caring for ourselves and one another. In the Loretto Community we are called to act for peace and work for justice. This is not easy. Loving our neighbor may involve speaking out against war, the death penalty, human trafficking, racism, corporate greed, poverty and inequality. Like all of nature, we are meant to be in relationship with one another, working together, supporting one another, being good neighbors. We are called to love unconditionally. 

Tonight, we celebrate the incarnation of God into humanity. We remember the birth of Jesus and the gift that he is to us, but more than that we celebrate our God who has always been right here in our midst, in the very core of our being, since the beginning of time. We marvel at the breadth and depth of God’s love for us and for all creation. Like the shepherds we are filled with joy. It makes our sunsets brighter, the sky bluer, our hearts lighter and our love for one another stronger. Tonight, let us sing our praise and give thanks as we celebrate the presence of God right here in our midst.