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John 1: 1-18 – Christmas Day (King James Audio Bible, Spoken Word)
1 IN the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
6 ¶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
15 ¶ John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
The opening passages of John’s Gospel affirm key, central truths concerning the nature of Christ. He is the Word, the perfect, ideal and original Word giving meaning and life to all utterance. We sense here the influence of classical Hellenic philosophy on the developing understanding of Christ through the first century. And, from the very first verses of his Gospel, John affirms the divinity of Christ. Christ is with God, the Father, and he is God. God the Father and God the Son are distinct and too of one being; they are consubstantial.
These Bile verses affirm in an incredibly dense, packed, manner key truths of our Christian faith. We hear that Christ is eternal. He was in the beginning with God, present already as time began. All was created through him. Christ is our saviour and he was instrumental in creation. We may extend this thought: just as Christ precedes creation, so his existence, his being, is rooted outside of space and time, beyond the limits and the possible limits of what we might now comprehend. He transcends our universe, and he is able and willing to intervene in his creation: our God is not merely a Deistic first cause or prime mover; he is watchful, active, alive with us, then as now. Christ’s life is not only the life he lived from his birth in Bethlehem to his crucifixion outside of the walls of Jerusalem; his life is our very origin, our light and our end.
Truly Christ’s life is our light. And we are told now, right at the start of John’s Gospel, just how strange and challenging a message this must have been. The terrible, glorious climax of Christ’s life is written into the beginning of John’s Gospel. ‘And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not… He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.’ Even now, to us, this may seem a strange message. How could people not know God was with them? It seems extraordinary. Christ’s followers, the saints, become privileged to know the arcane. It is as if to us a great and unworldly secret has been revealed. We are truly privileged. And it is a most wonderful time, as we celebrate the nativity of Christ, to reflect on this lack of seeing, and to give ourselves over anew to Christ, to see him always so very close to us when we ask him to be here, and then realise he is already.
We may reflect now as well on just how incredible a gift Christ’s life is for us. God became man. The Word was made flesh. He dwelt among us. As we have in the original Greek of the Bible, he set his tent, his tabernacle, among us. We are reminded of God’s tent through Israel’s wanderings. Christ took on our humanity, with all that this entails apart from sin. It is precisely because of this that we are enabled, by Christ, to become the sons of God. We were created by and through Christ, and now Christ is one of us. The transcendent and the temporal have joined in human flesh. The creator and his creation are joined. We are illuminated.
Lastly, we may consider the meaning of this verse: ‘For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.’ As we are taught, Christ is the fulfilment of the law. The relationship of a Christian with the Jewish law, the law of Moses, is not entirely clear cut. We obey, or we seek to obey, the ten commandments, and the manifold extrapolations thereof. We do not as a rule circumcise our young or follow every precept of Leviticus, for example the dietary laws. Christ affirms that he is not come to abolish the law, and yet he is strongly critical of those Jews who are perhaps sticklers for the letter of the law and yet do not know or practise its spirit. Christ is seen by some as having broken the Sabbath, for example; and he explicitly refutes the dietary laws, telling us that it is not what goes into a man that defiles a man. The New and the Old Testaments seem at times to be held in uneasy alliance with one another.
Paul will go on to develop this point. One important suggestion of Paul is that it is pretty much impossible for a mere human being to obey the law of Moses. People go wrong. With the best will in the world, people make mistakes. People sin. And here we are again with this complete and beautiful revelation of Christ’s love for us. The law was given by Moses; grace and truth are through Jesus Christ. We are forgiven.
May we celebrate the birthday of Christ with this great knowledge, of the extraordinary fact that Christ came to live with us as a human being. God became man. He set his tent among us. We are able to know Jesus Christ. We can behold his glory. Our sins are washed away in his precious blood. We are illuminated.
John 4:13-14 (KJV) ‘Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.’ Introduction to the Life of Saint Bernadette Saint Bernadette Soubirous, a humble peasant girl from Lourdes, France, lived her life of faith, humility, and divine grace. Born on January 7, 1844, in the small town of Lourdes, Bernadette was the eldest of nine children in a poor and struggling family. Her father, François Soubirous, was a miller, and her mother, Louise, a laundress. The family lived in a former prison cell known as the Cachot, a damp and cramped space, according to their dire financial situation. Despite their poverty, the Soubirous family was deeply rooted in their Christian faith, a foundation that would profoundly shape Bernadette’s life and spiritual journey. Bernadette’s early years were marked by significant health challenges. She suffered from asthma and other respiratory ailments, which often left her weak and unable to attend school regularly. This lack of formal education meant that Bernadette struggled with reading and writing, and her understanding of Christian doctrine was limited. Nevertheless, she possessed a remarkable simplicity and purity of heart, qualities that would make her an ideal recipient of divine revelations. Bernadette’s life changed irrevocably on February 11, 1858, when she experienced the first of eighteen apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the grotto of Massabielle. On that cold winter day, Bernadette, her sister Toinette, and a friend were gathering firewood near the grotto when she heard a rustling sound and saw a beautiful lady dressed in white with a blue sash, holding a rosary. The lady, who later identified herself as the Immaculate Conception, appeared to Bernadette over the course of several months, delivering messages of penance, prayer, and the need for a chapel to be built at the site. Despite initial skepticism from her family and the local authorities, Bernadette remained steadfast in her account of the apparitions, enduring intense scrutiny and even ridicule. The apparitions drew enormous attention. Soon, people from all over France and beyond began to visit Lourdes, hoping to witness a miracle. One of the most significant messages conveyed by the Virgin Mary to Bernadette was the instruction to dig in the ground near the grotto, which led to the discovery of a spring. This spring, believed to have healing properties, became the focal point of the pilgrimage to Lourdes. Many miraculous healings have been attributed to the waters of Lourdes, reinforcing the belief in Bernadette’s visions and the sanctity of the site. As the apparitions concluded, Bernadette’s life took a different turn. In 1866, she joined the Sisters of Charity in Nevers, taking the name Sister Marie-Bernard. Her time in the convent was marked by continued poor health and humility, as she carried out menial tasks and lived a life of quiet service. Despite her physical suffering, Bernadette remained devout and accepted her hardships with grace, often repeating the phrase, “I am happier here in my little corner of the convent.” Her unwavering faith and dedication to her religious duties exemplified the depth of her spiritual commitment. Bernadette Soubirous passed away on April 16, 1879, at the age of 35, after a prolonged battle with tuberculosis. Her legacy, however, endured far beyond her earthly life. In 1933, she was canonized as a saint by Pope Pius XI, recognized for her humility, faith, and the miraculous events associated with her life. Today, millions of pilgrims flock to Lourdes each year, seeking spiritual renewal and physical healing at the site of her visions. Saint Bernadette’s life continues to inspire countless individuals around the world, reminding us of the power of faith, the virtue of humility, and the enduring presence of divine grace in our lives. To Visit Lourdes Visiting Lourdes, in the picturesque foothills of the Pyrenees in southwestern France, is an experience that transcends the physical journey, drawing pilgrims into a profound spiritual adventure. The small town, known for the Marian apparitions witnessed by Saint Bernadette Soubirous in 1858, has become one of the world’s most revered pilgrimage sites. As we approach the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, the atmosphere is imbued with a palpable sense of reverence and anticipation. The grand basilicas, the tranquil Grotto of Massabielle and the gently flowing waters of the miraculous spring together create a sacred environment that invites reflection, prayer, and a deep connection with the divine. The focal point of any visit to Lourdes is the Grotto, where Bernadette experienced the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Here, pilgrims can touch the rock face, light candles, and drink or bathe in the spring’s water, believed to possess healing properties. The profound silence and sense of sacredness at the Grotto allow visitors to contemplate their faith, seek solace and find spiritual renewal. The Rosary Basilica, with its mosaics, and the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, perched above the Grotto, offer spaces for communal worship and personal meditation. The nightly candlelight processions, where pilgrims from around the globe unite in prayer and song, highlight the universal bond of faith and hope that Lourdes represents. Beyond its physical beauty and historical significance, visiting Lourdes offers a deeply personal and transformative experience. Pilgrims often arrive burdened with ailments, grief, or spiritual crises, seeking comfort and miracles. The stories of healing and faith that emerge from Lourdes are testimonies to the enduring power of belief and the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The communal aspect of the pilgrimage—sharing meals, prayers, and stories with fellow believers—fosters a sense of solidarity and mutual support. For many, the visit to Lourdes is a journey of healing, not only of the body but also of the soul, providing a renewed sense of purpose, peace, and spiritual clarity that lingers long after returning home. Prayer With Saint Bernadette Prayer for Intercession Dear […]
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