C. S. Lewis once said, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else. Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. There are those who say that seeing is believing. I am telling you that believing is seeing.”
What makes John so believable is he was there, he walked with, talked with and was in an intimate relationship Jesus. He was there at the Transfiguration, at the Last Supper, in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the only apostle who stood at the foot of Jesus’ cross. The letters of John use sensory words to express the experience of the Incarnation; we have heard, seen, looked upon, and touched. In the Gospel, the apostles hear Mary Magdalen’s message; they see the wrappings on the ground and the cloth rolled up; then they believe.
Christmas tantalizes our sense. Everywhere we look, our eyes are dazzled with lights, our ears are filled with music; our noses are pulled to the smell of baking. Yet our modern Christmas seems to be all about the buildup, that starts in July and ends on December 26th. For so many Christmas is a day, the tree is on the curb for pick up, many are using what days off they have to restore their homes back to normal, in preparation to reengage the world and the retailers have moved onto Valentines Day.
The mystery of Christmas invites us to use our senses, to enter the mystery of Jesus become flesh/man. In the 13th century, St. Francis gave us the Christmas crèche to engage our senses in contemplating the wonder of Jesus’ coming. St. Francis helps us fully experience the poverty and wonder of Bethlehem. Have you ever been in a stable/barn and taken in the less than pleasant smell of straw mingled with animal … well use your own imaginations, that’s what this is all about right? It’s almost as if we’ve sterilized the manager scene to the point that we can’t engage our senses. Know this, the smell of the sheep does not end, nor does it diminish on December 26th.
For us, this season invites us to awake our senses to the immanence of our God and marvel at God’s coming among us. The gift of our senses enables us to see and hear, smell and touch—and yes, even taste God’s presence among us. At each Mass, Jesus is present and allows us to become one with him.
Jesus taught us that when we encounter others, especially the poor, we are encountering him. Let us listen, reach out, and see Jesus present among us. Christmas occurs every day when see Jesus alive in our world.
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