The Rev. Dr. Francisco Alberca
The First Sunday after Christmas

  • Isaiah 61:10–62:3
  • Psalm 147:13–21
  • Galatians 3:23–25; 4:4–7
  • John 1:1-18

Saint John begins his gospel with the same words as the book of Genesis: “In the beginning”. This is a substantial sign of what the evangelist wants us to see, that is, the new creation revealed in Christ Jesus.
This is the new reality and this is the result of the birth of Jesus and of who He is, the Word of God made one of us.

Christ, therefore, is the Word of God, the incarnate word, the word not only audible but also visible.

He is a real presence and He is a human and divine figure at the same time. Ever since God has lived among us, he has become our traveling companion, a brother of ours who guides us and leads us as we wander in this world.

The Word of God came into the world, and to those who welcomed him He gave the power to be sons and daughters of God. This is the gift that comes of listening to the Word of God, of welcoming the Son of God into our lives.

Being and living in this world as sons and daughters of God means putting on a new person, becoming the image of the living God, that is, of Christ.

On this day of grace in which we are ending another year, I invite you to raise your eyes to heaven to thank God for the gift of life.
I invite you to ask the Child Jesus to be the presence of God for those who live next to us, that makes us capable of becoming grace and gift for others until we are able to become life and light, so we can shine in the darkness of this world of ours, often dark. Even if the world does not want to see us, nor receive us, we must work to illuminate it.

If there is one word that stands out in the readings of this last day of 2023, it is “The Word”.

That “Word” with which God in the beginning created the world, that “Word” that accompanied the life of the people of Israel, was the voice of the prophets.

That “Word” that announced the awaited Messiah has become ours, the Word made flesh and blood, who became incarnate in our own human nature and without losing his own, pitched his tent to remain among us.

And now we can shout, sing, we can enjoy this wonder only if we are able to open our hearts and our minds to be able to contemplate the nativity scene and discover in that child lying and wrapped in swaddling clothes the “Word”:
The definitive Word of God for all of us. The Word for you and for me.

Dear brothers and sisters, the true light is Christ; but the saddest thing is that humanity prefers to live in darkness, it has refused the luminosity of its light to live in darkness.

I hope that each of us welcomes the Word because in it we find peace, the peace that our world so desperately needs, a peace that only men and women of good can enjoy.

The Word continues to come to us even this Christmas, even today as we prepare to tell God about 2023. Dear friends in Christ, as you step forward into 2024, ask yourselves: why have many of us not been able to recognize the true light? Maybe because we were too busy with Christmas presents, the lights, colors and music of this time?

Or maybe because we were busy preparing for the holidays and forgot about the real gift?

Let us always remember that the greatest gift of Christmas is that God comes closer to each of us until he becomes one of us; hence, the Incarnation; this is the gift of gifts, this is the great mystery of God’s Love for you, for me and for all people of good will.

The child God came to save us, to convince us of how much he loves us, of how he is willing to help us and rekindle hope, to give foundation to our certainty in his infinite love for him.

For this reason, in addition to loving and venerating God, we must demonstrate that love and veneration with words and deeds must be those that truly please God. To honor God, we must observe his law, which is summarized in loving him above all else. Everything and in loving our neighbor as ourselves.

This is what Saint John wants to tell us when he states, with clarity and courage, that anyone who says he loves God and despises his brother is a liar.

To fulfill this commandment, it is not necessary to go far or think in the poorest countries, let’s do it with those close to us, here in our community, in our families, at work,
at school and at university.

If you can love God and see his face, think a little about our Refugee Center, our Latin American Community, how many migrant brothers and sisters who have nothing to eat or how here to sleep.

My friends in Christ, the feast of the Epiphany is approaching and we too must be able to give the best we have, just like the Three Wise Men did, and let us not make the mistake of keeping the great joy of the holidays just for ourselves. Let us share with all the gifts received in the birth of our Redeemer.

Let us remember that the Word is among us and we must adore it.

Let us prepare, once again, to reach the Gate of Bethlehem with our best gifts, let us present ourselves with the best of our lives, let us give all of ourselves to that Child who was born to us. Amen. Amen!