"The Word Became Flesh" - Christmas Day Homily

On behalf of Deacon Ted and our entire staff, I wish you and your family a Merry and blessed Christmas.

I was talking with a woman the other day about this parish.

She's not a parishioner but visits here often.

So say when you...

Step foot in this ground, on these grounds.

You feel it already.

There's something to this place that is palpable, it's powerful.

It kind of gave reason why she comes here so often.

I've experienced it four and a half years now as a pastor.

It seems to be growing more and more.

There's something about this place and she and I talked more about it and you kind of get to the reason for it.

It's the Holy Spirit.

And yes, it should be that way at every church.

You step on the grounds, you take in the sights and sounds and smells and the people, all the experiences of grace upon grace.

But it's the same kind of question that we can ask about what is going on here at this scene of the birth of Christ.

Is there any difference from anywhere in the world?

People will talk about God exists everywhere, but sin and that's true.

What's the big deal about these sacraments like the Eucharist?

I get that question all the time.

So I okay, fair enough, but let's ask that about the birth of Christ.

Why is it such a big deal in the world?

To the whole world.

And I don't mean like commercializing, I just mean the experience of Christmas that is global and always has been since it happened.

Now Matthew and Luke tell the story with the details, the narrative.

We need those.

With Mary and Joseph and no room at the inn and the manger.

John takes a different approach.

He takes the big picture.

And I would say he presents a really strong point.

Maybe the strongest.

Why this is such a big deal.

He gives the background of the word, capital W, the second person of the Trinity.

Before there was time there was the Word, the Word with God, the Word was God.

and the Word became flesh.

I remember being in the Holy Land and you're outside the church of the Nativity.

A long line to get in.

It's amazing how long you have to wait in the huge moment, this ginormous church, and then you get down into the spot of the Nativity and it's like a fireplace.

And you have to get on your knees to just touch it or see anything in there.

It's so humble.

But I remember staring at the lettering.

I think it's in Latin, and the word became flesh.

It just seeps into your soul and your body, your bones, that phrase.

The Word became flesh, God became man, the Creator became a creature.

and we saw his glory.

That's one of the biggest differences.

with Christ's in the manger and his presence throughout the world, so we can see him.

We can see him, he's visible.

And for me, this phrase, the word became flesh, means God became real.

And for those of us who have always believed in Him,

It wasn't until he became flesh for us that he became real to us.

And think of the test we have when we pinch ourselves, our skin, if something's real.

Am I dreaming?

I'm pinching myself.

You actually squeeze flesh.

You experience in the flesh if it's real.

So God says, all right, folks, you want to see real?

I'll get you real.

I'll become flesh.

I'll become a baby and a man and leave myself

and my flesh and blood in the Eucharist.

And that became the eye-opener to me in college with the Eucharist.

God became real.

And it can happen straight up, directly with Him in the Eucharist, like we have people 24 hours a day.

It's like I say in the Christmas letter, it's like a 24-7 nativity scene over there.

Come let us adore God in the flesh.

It can happen through other people.

It can happen in the church, in the poor.

But to me it's an experience of God becoming tangible and visible and real and concrete and substantial.

True.

And I could tell stories from this place all day.

I'm not going to.

I know you have a commander's game to watch.

mean, other things to do today.

I will not speak, but I would like to tell a few stories.

And there's a whole lot more to say about the Word becoming flesh here.

So there's a parishioner I've

got to know him really well and he told me about a friend, this was months ago.

He there's a guy I know, he used to be, he was raised Catholic and into it and then just fell away.

I think, I think he has an opening.

He's coming back and I'm working on him and he wanted some guidance on how to do that.

Well the next thing I know, I walk into the Adoration Chapel one night and there's his buddy in the chapel wanting to talk to me.

Like he's having an experience, like he's at the nativity scene going, what is this?

oh

This is God you've been searching for.

He's become flesh and you can see Him and experience Him.

The palpability, palpability, is that a word?

I don't know, I don't know.

Just making it up.

Not papal, but palpable.

The peace, is my point.

That they experienced that scene that they experienced in the chapel that He was experiencing and then on top of all that, just two days ago.

Someone forgot to show up for adoration.

Thankfully, it doesn't happen too often.

I'm going to sub.

Well, he was there the hour prior to that.

He just stayed.

He's like, I'm happy to stay another hour.

Oh my gosh.

The word became flash for him.

People I work with are in serious situations with family or personal problems.

We have this new outreach center and a counselor on site.

Kathleen, who's unbelievable.

That's the feedback I'm getting.

from all the clients now, from our parish They're experiencing God through her.

But God becomes flesh in these situations that she's working with them and light is coming to the darkness and they are so grateful.

Through the Outreach Center, have more and more people getting involved in social concerns.

It's amazing the volunteers.

It's amazing the output of food distribution and collection.

We had one like two weeks ago and filled up like the entire downstairs.

You could barely get through.

It was awesome.

And then there was another one the following weekend and the same thing.

So we were working in another parish in Montgomery County.

And it was like the reaction when we show up at these food centers.

They've never seen this much food before from any one parish.

Especially the produce.

And then the parish was saying how many volunteers we have.

And the ones running it, they have to pay people to do that.

I these are people in the church who are in the ministry and serving the poor.

They're in Christ.

And God becomes real in all that through us.

There's a woman I'm instructing, an adult who is becoming Catholic, and she likes to ask me, when is the children's choir?

When do the children sing?

When do the children's masses?

And she comes with her family and experiences God through our music ministry.

God becomes flesh.

If you want to think of all these situations as Christ being born, that's okay with me.

Christ coming to life, Christ...

being revealed, God be coming flesh.

So I don't think it's a stretch to say this event continues regularly in the Church.

The word becoming flesh.

I know there's a hurdle for a lot of people to go from the pews on Christmas Day to in the parish regularly to be part of this.

In your heart, in my heart, like I want to be a part of this.

Someone just wrote a note on the Christmas card that this is like a taste of heaven.

I guess that's what we're saying because heaven comes down to earth in Jesus Christ.

But there's a hurdle to clear to get there with God, to get there with the church.

And I get that.

We get that.

So we have materials even as you're leaving today.

have books, have cups, have invitations to prayer, to Bible study, and to walk with you, to experience this.

God didn't intend this just for one day, one moment, that we weren't even there 2,000 years ago.

He wants us to experience a regular peace and joy that is palpable and visible to us.