The Seventh Day of the Octave of Christmas
Gospel: John 1:1-18
Christ, the Incarnate Divine Word of God

We often have the opportunity to hear everything God proclaims to us through His servants—namely, all about the Kingdom of Heaven, as revealed by our Lord Christ, the Divine Word of God, who came down from heaven by the power of the Holy Spirit and assumed flesh from the womb of the Virgin Mary.

St. John the Apostle, one of Jesus’ most beloved disciples, summarized the life of Jesus in words both profoundly deep and beautifully simple.

St. John tells us: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (cf. John 1:1-5). This reminds us of that beautiful account in Genesis: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty; darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and He separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day (cf. Genesis 1:1-5). Thus, we are invited to contemplate God’s profound love for humanity.

Before following Jesus, St. John the Apostle had been a disciple of John the Baptist. Hence, he writes: There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness to the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light but came to bear witness to the Light (cf. John 1:6-8). Through this, we are invited to imitate the virtue of St. John the Baptist—always humble, courageously bearing witness to the truth.

St. John also tells us: The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, the glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (cf. John 1:14). This reveals to us that the Divine Word, long awaited by the world, in accordance with His holy will, chose to assume flesh from the Blessed and Most Holy Virgin, appearing among us in the fragile form of a child. In this way, He draws near to us, bestowing upon us His abundant love.

Dear brothers and sisters! The Savior has become incarnate and dwells among us, filling us with unspeakable joy. He desires to reveal to us the redemptive plan of the Father who sent Him. We, too, are called to be Christians—let us share this same joy with everyone, so that the joy of the Savior’s incarnation may fill the world.

Infant Jesus, bless us! Amen.

©Totus Tuus 2025
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025