Second Sunday of Christmas
Christmas is a season of reverence and wonder, a time when we come together to rejoice in the sweet mystery of the Incarnation: that God became flesh and dwelt among us. Today’s readings deepen that mystery, inviting us to go beyond the crib’s simplicity and into the profound beauty of Christ’s presence and purpose.
In our first reading describes Wisdom as an em-bodied attribute of God. Wisdom rests among the people of Israel, ministering in the holy temple. In Jewish tradition, Wisdom represents God’s guiding principles, the divine blueprint through which creation comes into being.
When St. John writes in the Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God” John echoes that same profound link between divine Wisdom and the Incarnation of the Son of Man. The Word, God’s creative wisdom, became flesh. In Jesus Christ, the Eternal Wisdom descended into our world, and dwelt amongst us.
St. John tells us: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it”. This image is central: Jesus Christ is that light, piercing through the shadow of fear, sin, suffering, loneliness, and doubt. Darkness, no matter how deep it is, cannot quench this Divine Light from God’s power.
This message was radical in the first Christian communities, and it also resonates with us today. We too live in a time of uncertainty, unrest, and disconnection.
Yet Christ’s light persists, in a world filled with hurt and darkness, the Incarnation is God’s unyielding declaration: that nothing can extinguish God’s love for us.
St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians bursts with this praise: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… he chose us in him before the foundation of the world… in love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ”.
Christmas isn’t just a story about a child born in a manger, it’s a revelation of who we are meant to be. Through Christ, each one of us are invited into God’s family, not as servants but as His Sons and Daughters.
This invitation is personal: as long as we are called to allow our hearts to be opened by the Spirit. In the midst of this Christmas season, God gives us the greatest gift, our eternal belonging and identity with Jesus Christ himself.
May we today:
Contemplate, just like Mary pondered these things in her heart. As we are invited to marvel and rest in the wonder of the Incarnation of Jesus.
May we have a Conversion of heart, letting the Divine Light of God, guide our lives. Where there is division, let us rebuild in unity. Where there is suffering, offer kindness. Where there is despair, let us share in hope. Since we have become living symbols of the Word made flesh. May we become Witnesses, of the Good News, since St Paul says: “We, too, can be bearers of Good News through our hearts and our lives: by praying for one another, by showing compassion, by daring to believe in God’s goodness.”
So today, even though, the world has already moved on from Christmas, the season still continues. Christ came not to depart, but to stay with us. So, as we start to live out this new year, may our homes and hearts remain cradles of His presence and goodness.
Let Wisdom rest amongst us, and the ‘Word’ continue to dwell with us. We are called into a deeper adoption, through our own personal mission by Baptism? Let us allow Christ’s light to shine through every act of our lives, in mercy, kindness, forgiveness, and especially love.
Amen.
Rev. Fr Philip Wrigley's Blog 