St. John’s prologue, opening his Gospel, tells us that Jesus is the light that enlightens all people. It is a powerful statement. In our time the word “enlightenment” is most often used to refer to the great growth of scientific knowledge and enquiry during the 17th and 18th centuries, which sought to understand the world by the sole means of human reasoning and intelligence. God has taken steps to make himself known to us and in a way that is at once humbling and magnificent.
In order to know Jesus we are called to listen to Him and speak with Him. This is what the disciples did in their lifetime, coming to know this special person very well. When the Lord was crucified it looked like a disaster, but the resurrection opened their eyes to the dawning truth. Jesus is the Son of God. He is the living Lord. This is amazing gift of Christmas. Not only that God became a child for us, but that by God’s grace now we may become children of God in this broken world.