Homily for Christmas day Year B
Theme: Joy to the World.
By: Fr. Luke Ijezie
Homily for Friday December 25 2020
Is a 52:7-10; Psalm 97:1-6; Heb 1:1-6; John 1:1-18
Joy is what the world greatly needs today, and that is the special gift of Christmas. We live in difficult times and joy seems to vanish from many hearts. The Corona virus pandemic and other social vices and evils have combined to change the way we live and move and enjoy our existence.
But in the midst of these hydra headed evils we find joy resound in a special way on this day of Christmas.
The Christmas joy is often contagious. Even when you have all the reasons to be sad, you can’t help rejoicing with others. It is really a joy that the world and all its tensions cannot offer. Everyday we are faced with hard realities that incline us to lose hope and lose balance. If we get too preoccupied with these realities we can hardly get joy. The joy of Christmas is a joy that comes from above. We are all messengers of this joy.
The first reading from Isaiah puts us on that joyful mood when it says: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of one who brings good news, who heralds peace, brings happiness, proclaims salvation, and tells Zoon, ‘Your God is king.'”
The good news that we celebrate is that God has come to visit us in our misery. The birth of Jesus as man is a bold statement that God is now dressed to fight the battle of being human for us and with us.
He comes as light to illumine our darkened existence. It is no gainsaying the fact that we live amidst a dangerous reign of the forces of darkness. They present themselves in a forms and diverse places. But we are not discouraged. The light has come to overcome the darkness. We can overcome all the forces and regions of darkness in our lives only if we surrender ourselves to the new Light born in Bethlehem. As long as we remain bound to him no force of darkness can overcome us. This is why we remain joyful. It is a joy emanating from the realization that our Redeemer lives and stands here with us. He is here to accompany us in all our pains and misery. Just as the post-exilic Israelite/Jewish Community rejoiced to hear this message of God’s return in their midst, in the same way we rejoice because we have hope that our liberation is very near. So we make our own the words of the Psalmist today: “Shout to the Lord all the earth, ring out your joy!” May the joy of Christmas come to us and remain with us always!
Fr. Luke Ijezie