HOMILY FOR THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS (CHRISTMAS)

HOMILY FOR THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS (CHRISTMAS)

THEME: He became man to save us.

BY: Fr. Chimezie C. Aladi.

HOMILY: “ We consider Christmas as the encounter, the great encounter, the historical encounter, the decisive encounter, between God and mankind. He who has faith knows this truly; let him rejoice.” -Pope Paul VI

~The long-awaited celebration is here. We have gathered here today, because Christ has gathered us together by His birth. This was His mission for coming, to bring us together and reunite us with God( Eph 1:7-20). He became one of us in order to enter deeply into the fullness of our being to redeem us from the very root of sin that disconnected us from God the father.

~His coming was not by accident. It was planned and willfully accepted. It was part of God’s eternal plan for the salvation of man not a consequence of the fall of man. God gave his son who accepted to be born in the likeness of men. He took up our lowly state being born in a manger to teach us the humility that should accompany our relationship with him; To teach us that our lowly beginning does not define or limit our destiny; He was born in a manger yet He was king of the universe.

~His birth has a purpose just as your and my birth has a purpose. He has a mission to accomplish. It was obedience to the will of His father that saw him through on that mission. So if we are to succeed in life, we too must be obedient to His commands.

~His birth was a gift to men. A gift borne out of selfless and unconditional love for man. He became a gift to men and women that we, in turn, shall be a gift to others. It was a selfless gift to men, to teach us that it is only in selfless service that we accomplish God’s designs and fulfilment of our mission here on earth.

~His birth inaugurated a new era of grace. For 400 years no prophetic voice was heard in Israel. No kings, no judges, until John appeared in the wilderness to announce his coming and to prepare the way for Him. The birth of Christ was the greatest event in human history. It marks a new dawn in the history of salvation. Israel waited for the coming of her Messiah, the prophet’s prophesied about his coming. Malachi brought an end to the old testament prophesies about his coming as the last prophet of old. All the prophecies of old found their fulfilment in his birth. His is the long-expected saviour hence the inspiration of this song:

Come, thou long-expected Jesus,
Born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
The joy of every longing heart.

~Our generation is so fortunate to witness the birth and experience the grace of this newborn king. Many of old, desired to see what we see today, to hear what we hear but never saw or heard. ( cf Luke 10:24). He spoke to the people of old through the prophets but in our day through the voice of His only begotten son( cf Heb 1:2). God is now among us (EMMANUEL) let us live like the people whose God is in their midst.

~If we are so privileged as a people of the new Israel, shall we allow this dominion of grace to make us the good people of God? We are no longer under the dispensation of law but that of grace and this grace is sufficient in our lives. May the abundance of this grace which is unmerited bring out the best in our lives. Let us not abuse it by sinful living.

~Christ came to bring peace to our troubled world. Israel had many enemies when Christ was born. Contrary to their expectation He was not a political messaiah who had come to declare war on Israel’s enemy but a peaceful messiah you came to gather all the scattered children of God into one family of God. Peace and love were the cardinal points of His mission. He was non-violent even when earthly forces compelled Him to. He peaches non- violence and peacefully resolves disputes. Let’s learn from Christ and settle all disputes ranging from family to property in a peaceful way this Christmas. May our gathering together this Christmas be a source of unification and not one of disunity among us.

He came to bring peace to all men…and on earth peace to men of good will(credo).
Let us be men and women of peace and goodwill in our world crippled by ravages of war, poverty and sickness. Let’s say no to War and violent rebellion.

Doctrinal: Christ is the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of all creation( Col 1:15-18) Jesus is the son of God. He is God.

He is divine and human; Two natures hypostatically united. He was never at any point in time human and later divine or vice versa. He has no beginning in time because He existed before the creation of the world. In gospel of John, in his progue says: “In the beginning was the word…” ( John 1:1ff) He is the son yet consubstantial with the father.

~May this Christmas season fill our hearts with joy and peace. Let this year’s Christmas bring about a transformation that has never occurred in your life and in our world. Amen

With a heart filled with joy, I wish you, your family and loved ones happy Christmas. You are always in my prayers.

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