Below is an edited version of the reflection I shared at a meeting at Carlow University this week.
Advent season takes Christians through a time of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. In many ways the birth of Jesus can be seen as a new beginning in the history of salvation; and yet in many other ways it can be understood as a continuation and more complete expression of God’s work throughout history. This can be seen most clearly by reading the beginnings of each of the four Gospels.
The Gospel of Mark skips right over the birth of Jesus and begins with John the Baptist, preparing the way for the Messiah. John the Baptist, a Jewish preacher and prophet, is linked very much to the prophetic tradition of the Jewish Scriptures. John the Baptist also baptizes Jesus. In beginning in this way, Mark shows continuity with God’s work in history through the Jewish people.
The Gospel of Matthew begins with a genealogy, going back in time earlier than Mark does, tracing the lineage of Jesus back to Abraham, and through King David. Such a beginning shows Jesus to be of Jewish royal lineage- a messiah who is a king.
The Gospel of Luke also begins with a genealogy. But his genealogy goes back even further- past David, past Abraham, all the way back to Adam. Luke also portrays Jesus as a Jewish messiah and king, but by tracing his lineage back to Adam Luke hints at his emphasis on Jesus as a savior for all people- a theme which one can trace through the entire Gospel of Luke. This is also a theme which is prominent in the nativity passages, for example the angelic announcement to the shepherds:
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)
The Gospel of John begins not with John the Baptist, or with a birth, or with a genealogy, but with a poem (John 1:1-18). This poem--quite possibly an early Christian hymn--takes readers back yet further in time, even prior to the very beginning of the world. And by doing so in the medium of poetry makes its claims in a powerful and evocative fashion.
As we read this ancient poem, I’d like to note that this poem lays a foundation for several aspects of our tradition as a Catholic University. First, Jesus is described as the Word, using the Greek term Logos, a term ancient philosophers used to describe universal reason- the divine principle that orders the cosmos and sustains the world. Jewish writers had already been using this term as well to describe the Wisdom of God, which sometimes is represented through personification in Wisdom poems in biblical texts and early Jewish texts. The idea for the author of this poem is that what happened with the birth of Jesus was in line with all of the other manifestations of God’s Wisdom throughout history. Second, as this poem begins with creation it lays a foundation for our understanding of the sacredness of creation- all creation is the work of God, and all life and light has its origin in him. Third, through imagery of light and darkness, the poem reminds us that there is a moral dimension to humanity’s quest for knowledge. People can accept or reject the illuminating Wisdom of God which is available to all, and throughout history they have. Finally, as the poem describes God’s Logos becoming flesh in the human person of Jesus, it lays a strong foundation for our understanding of the dignity of all humans, and a holistic view of persons as not only spiritual but also physical, and highly complex. A reminder that as a university we educate not disembodied minds, but whole persons who are valuable in all of who they are.
The poem that begins the Gospel of John can be arranged in seven strophes representing seven different eras of the work of God in the world through the Logos:
1) The word with God (vv. 1-2)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.
2) The word and Creation (vv. 3-4)
3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.
3) The Word in the World (v.5, v.9)
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
4) The Rejection of the Word in the World (vv. 10-11)
10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him.
5) The Word and those who Receive Him (vv. 12-13)
12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.
6) John’s Community’s Experience of the Word (v. 14)
14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
7) The Community’s Ongoing Reception of Grace (vv.16-17)
16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
8) Concluding comment after the poem (v. 18)
18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.
The climactic and startling moment of John’s opening poem comes in 1:14 where we learn that the Logos, the divine Wisdom, became flesh and made his dwelling among humans. The implications of this claim are rich and deep, and surely have yet to be fully probed. As noted above, though, the incarnation is foundational for some of the essential claims of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, particularly the sacredness of all creation and the dignity of all people. In the incarnation we learn that human experience, the bodily experience of humanity, can be a place of divine revelation.
The incarnation thus affirms our bodily existence, and the basic stuff of daily life, as a place where God can be at work- and is. To me this all but eliminates the idea of an either/or distinction between the sacred and the profane. Instead, we can see life as a both/and. Our lives are both physical and spiritual at the same time. All of life is sacred and can reflect divine wonder.
Worshipping or working; being born or growing old; caring for a child or a loved one; teaching or serving; talking with a colleague or student; grading papers or writing an email; and even participating in a meeting. All that we do with our bodies has the potential to be seen as participating in God’s life-giving and light-giving work.
As throughout history, not everyone sees God’s Wisdom at work. And even in the life of Jesus, it was not everyone who perceived the glory of God in his life. But may our eyes be open to see every moment as a moment in which we are participating in something that is much larger than just ourselves alone. Amazingly, we are participants in God's story. This is the mystery that the Gospel writers, in their own ways, invite us to consider.
