Adeste Fideles

We're steaming our way through Christmastide, brothers and sisters, and we've landed now on the Second Sunday after Christmas. I'd like, therefore, to invite you to consider a portion of St. Paul's letter to the Church at Ephesus, which, if you went to Mass today, will sound familiar to you: the lectionary gives us Ephesians 1:3-6 for today's epistle.

Paul writes:

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe.

I am most interested in the phrase 'with the eyes of your heart enlightened' and what it means, particularly in a festal season such as Christmastide. I guess, really, I want to ask us a question. Are the eyes of our hearts enlightened by the sure and certain hope that is ours in Christ Jesus? Does Christmas mean more than merrymaking and good cheer; more than cocktail parties and tacky sweaters? Is there more to the Incarnation than sappy Hallmark cards and post-holiday sales at the mall? Surely to goodness Christmas is more efficacious?!?

Of course, there is more to Christmas than the secular sphere, and for that we can indeed be grateful. But what I'm really getting at is much, much deeper. I'm talking about hope amidst darkness and even despair.

I'm talking about the empirical fact that darkness, even at Christmas, seems to encroach upon the one True Light, seemingly stealing our joy and blinding our hearts to the inheritance that is ours through Christ Jesus. I'm talking about any and all darkness, whether that's the broken relationship that's on your mind, or whether it's cancer or even depression. I'm simply saying that darkness exists, it's real, it's not of God and its extremely dangerous.

But wait, that's only half of the story, dear ones. The Incarnation changes all of this, does it not? Is not everything recast and every path made straight? Is this not what St. John saith: 'the darkness shall not overcome the light'. Is this not what St. Paul is writing to the Ephesians when he says, 'with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you'.

The darkness, you see - no matter its gloom - shall not overcome the Light of Christ. Glory be to God in the highest: the darkness shall never overtake the Light of Christmas! And this is God's promise to us, his children.

St. Paul reminds us that, yes, darkness exists. However, Jesus came to change the situation, providing an unending radiant beam, which is 'the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe'. This is the good news of the Incarnation, that Jesus Christ, true God and true man, came down from heaven and dwelt among us!

He calls our hearts to genuine enlightenment, especially in this great season of His appearing. So, I ask once more, are our hearts enlightened, or do they dwell in disbelief and persistent darkness?

Yours in the Incarnate One,

CDW