The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas
I recently saw a picture from the James Webb Space Telescope which is located one million miles from the earth. This telescope has seen galaxies that are 13 billion light years away which means that we are seeing the objects as they appeared 13 billion years ago. (To better understand the magnitude of this concept- a light year is the distance that light travels in one year which is 5.88 trillion miles.) These galaxies existed not long after the Big Bang which scientists believe is the beginning of the universe. All of these incredible details came to mind when I read the today’s gospel. In the beginning was the Word. Before all of creation came to be, God and His Word existed- the rest is history.
In the gospel reading, we are reminded that God and the Word (Jesus) were one. Through God all came to be- all light, all life, and all creation. God has a plan, and it is good. This plan includes the Word coming into the world and taking on flesh. Through faith in the Word, people become children of God. The Word brings truth and grace, and it is through the Word that God is revealed.
As I reflect on the pictures of deep space, I realize that the immensity of the universe and the God who created it is beyond my understanding. Even more incredible is the fact that the God who created all of this chose to become human in order to reveal God and God’s truth. This is where I must rely on faith to guide my path.
God has been revealing His love since the beginning of time, but there has been no greater manifestation of God’s love than the incarnation of Jesus. Jesus shows us how to live fully as humans, and He assures us that our lives have meaning beyond our deaths. Jesus reminds us that because we are created by God, we are in fact children of a God who loves us deeply. When we believe in Jesus, we profess that through Him we find our hope, our peace and our promise for eternal life.
Faith is a gift of grace, but still requires nurturing. Prayer, scripture, sacrament and community are ways that we can strengthen our relationship with God. Pictures of from the James Webb telescope remind us that our God is much bigger than we can fathom, and yet Jesus is the same God who reminds us He is with us always. God is revealed in the galaxies as well as the snowflakes falling to the ground. We are called to be mindful of God’s presence in our everyday lives and to be grateful for God’s abundant goodness. In the beginning, God began this story of love. We are called to continue to be a part of this magnificent love story as we walk in faith as disciples of Christ.
Loving God, you created all things in love. Jesus reveals your love to us in the most intimate way through His humanity. By the power of your Spirit, give us the grace to grow in faith so we can recognize your presence throughout our lives. May we know your deep love for us and then share this love with others. We pray this in Christ’s name. AMEN.
Marylynn Herchline