Remaining with the Immutable God and Being Transformed by Christ – Sixth Day in the Octave of Christmas

As God had spoken to Ahaz, a king of Judah, in response to his refusal to trust Him (Isaiah 7:10-12), God finally gave a sign that a virgin would conceive and give birth to a son (Isaiah 7:13-14), though not during Ahaz’s reign but in the fullness of time for the Messianic Davidic King of Israel to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2-4), fulfilling His promise to David (2 Samuel 7:11-16), by having Mary the Blessed Virgin to conceive and give birth to the incarnated Christ (Luke 1:26-38; 2:7).

The birth of the incarnated Christ (Luke 2:7) reflects God’s promise to speak up for His beloved Zion, breaking His silence His silence to turn desolated Zion into His delight so that she can be His spouse (First Reading of Christmas Vigil Mass: Isaiah 62:1-5; cf. Revelation 19:5-9; 21:2; 22:17). It also reflects a great light shone in darkness by way of giving the Son of God (Isaiah 9:5; cf. John 3:16), who is the Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace, to rule the world with justice forever (First Reading of Christmas Midnight Mass: Isaiah 9:1-6).

During the first eight days of Christmastide, known as Octave of Christmas, we reflect who really is this newborn Jesus is and what how his presence among us in the world will affect us. Then, we also ponder how we are to live in his presence.

On the sixth day from the Nativity of the Lord, we reflect what the newborn Christ will bring to the world, as Anna did when she saw him, as Mary and Joseph brought him to the Temple (Luke 2:36-38), following Simeon’s prophetic canticle  on the newborn Christ (Luke 2:29-32). We also ponder how Christ changes our lives, through forgiveness and empowering us to overcome the Evil One, letting us know the Christ and the Father, and having the Word remain in us (1 John 2:12-14), upon contemplating on what it means to know Christ by observing his new commandment of love (1 John 2:3-11).

In the First Reading of the Fifth Day within Christmas Octave (1 John 2:3-11), John emphasized that we are to truly observe Christ’s new commandment of love, which was given by Christ himself during the Lord’s Supper on the night before his death, to love one another as he has loved (John 13:34), as it is a mark of being his follower (John 13:15), to shine in the darkness of hatred in the world as Christ’s light of love.

The First Readings of the Fifth Day and the Sixth Day of Octave of Christmas from First Epistle of John (1 John 2:3-11, 12-17) invite us to make a deeper Christological reflection so that we may know who this baby born of Mary is and how this baby will impact us as he grows and begin his public ministry upon his Baptism. Mary knew (Luke 1:46-55), as told by the archangel Gabriel (Luke 1:30-33, 35). Zechariah knew (Luke 1:68-79), for being filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:67). Simeon knew (Luke 2:29-35), because of the Holy Spirit (Luke 2:25-27). Being a prophetess (Luke 2:37), Anna also knew (Luke 2:38). Now, we are also to know who Christ is and what he brings to the world and us.  Read these two First Readings (1 John 2:3-11, 12-17) along with the Gospel Reading of Christmas Day Mass (John 1:1-18), in addition to the archangel Gabriel’s annunciation to Mary (Luke 1:30-33, 35), Mary’s canticle of Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), Zechariah’s of Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79), Simeon’s Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29-32) and prophesy of Christ’s impact on Mary (Luke 2:34-35).

In the First Reading (1 John 2:12-17), which is the immediate continuation from yesterday’s First Reading (1 John 2:3-11), John is calling us to know who this newborn baby is so that we can live in the light of Christ, the light of God, rather than in the darkness of the world.

By saying, “I am writing to you”, John is making his earnest petitions to “children”, “fathers”, and “young men” , namely, people of all generations and of all spiritual maturity. In the petitions, John wants all of us to take it to heart that our sins are forgiven in Christ’s name (v.12), Christ has been in existence from the beginning (v. 13a; John 1:1; 1 John 1:1).

While “children”(v. 12a, v. 13c) represent those who are spiritually immature, while “fathers” (v.13a, v. 14a) refer to those who are spiritually mature. “Young men”(v. 13b,v. 14b) symbolically young men and women in faith, who are no longer children. Though, it has not as fully matured as the faith of their fathers and mothers yet, their faith has matures since their childhood. Perhaps, they are equivalent to those who have recently received the Sacrament of Confirmation, eager to further grow in faith, empowered by the Holy Spirit.  That is why they are strong and are able to overcome evil one, because the Word of God lives in them.

The Second Reading of Christmas Day Mass (Hebrews 1:1-6) reminds us that sending his Son, the Word, incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus, born of Mary, to let him dwell among us, is the Father’s way of speaking to us (Hebrews 1:1-6), so that we will not just know but encounter Him through the Son (John 14:6 ) – so that God’s saving power shall be known to all the ends of the earth (Psalm 98:3c-Responsorial Psalm of Christmas Day Mass), as it is God’s holy arm to bring the glad tidings and comfort of salvation (Isaiah 52:7-10, the First Reading of Christmas Day Mass).

The Second Reading of Christmas Day Mass (Hebrews 1:1-6) reminds us that sending his Son, the Word, incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus, born of Mary, to let him dwell among us, is the Father’s way of speaking to us (Hebrews 1:1-6), so that we will not just know but encounter Him through the Son (John 14:6 ) – so that God’s saving power shall be known to all the ends of the earth (Psalm 98:3c-Responsorial Psalm of Christmas Day Mass), as it is God’s holy arm to bring the glad tidings and comfort of salvation (Isaiah 52:7-10, the First Reading of Christmas Day Mass). This means that God has given us the Word for our salvation out of His love (John 1:1; 3:16). For Christ is the incarnated Word (John 1:14), by eating his flesh as the Living Bread of Life (John 6:51, 53-58), we let the Word remain in us (1 John 2:14).

Does the Word of God also live in us?  If we let the incarnated Christ, who is the Word (John 1:1, 14), be born in us, the Word of God, Christ, lives in us (cf. Galatians 2:20b). It is made possible as we abide in Christ (John 15:4), remain in the Word (John 8:31), because it also means the Christ, the Word, in us (John 15:5, 7). But it means to have our old selves be crucified (Galatians 2:20a). This is why John calls us to detach ourselves from the worldly and carnal desires, for they come as cravings but pass away (1 John 2:15-17; cf. Romans 12:2; cf. 1 Peter 1:14). But we will remain forever as we do the will of God (1 John 2:17) by keeping His Word in us (1 John 2:14c), as Christ’s words remain even though heaven and earth will pass away (Matthew 24:35; cf. 1 Peter 1:25), because God remains (Psalm 102:26-27). And this is because of what St. Thomas Aquinas calls the immutability of God (Summa Theologiae, I-9).

Though the incarnated Christ will bring about changes, as Simeon and Anna had foreseen, as Mary and Zechariah had foreseen, Christ himself will remain. So we will be transformed and grow from “children” to “fathers” (parents), through being “young men” (youth and young adults). And we will endure all these passing changes as the Word of God live in us, and we are in Christ, the Word – just as he is in the Father and He in him (John 10:38; 14:10, 20; 17:21-23).