Christmas Day 2022
With the very limited experience which is mine, I have noticed that babies tend to sleep a lot. Most of the time, their eyes are closed. They seem peacefully focussed on their own life which is developing with great energy and at the same time quietly. From time to time, though, they open their eyes. They gaze around but you are not quite sure that they are really looking at you even when you try to produce your very best smile.
I mention this because I am intrigued by the phrase of Isaiah in our first reading, when he says that the watchmen see “eye to eye” the return of the Lord to Zion. I hear in these words an invitation to gaze attentively at Jesus, and even, as it were, to try and catch His gaze. And rightly so: I want to see my Saviour; I want to see in His eyes that He loves me; I want to be sure that He looks at me with utter love, that He has forgiven all the stupid things I have, that He is not rebuked by all the stupid thoughts and desires in my soul. I want to see my God and to be seen by Him. But at the same time, I find this daunting, and even a bit frightening. How shall I meet the gaze of the Holy One and remain alive? Unless, of course, I meet eyes of mercy.
The light of God has come into the world. It has illumined the world from Jesus’ eyes. Jesus looked at Simon and made Him Peter. He looked at the Samaritan woman and gave her the water of life. He looked at the man blind from his birth and He restored his sight. He looked at Lazarus and called him back to life. He lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come’. He saw His mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near her and He entrusted them to one another. He looked at Mary Magdalene and called her by her name. He looked at John and announced that he would remain until He comes.
The light has shone in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Jesus’ gaze has met with the gaze of sinners and has not condemned them. Instead, He has offered them salvation. He has poured out water and blood from His open side. He has lavished on us grace upon grace from His fullness. We have enjoyed His light. We have seen His glory, the glory of the Son of God, full of grace and truth, wholly light without any shadow.
One gaze of the Baby in the crib suffices to tell us that we have a Saviour, that we are forgiven, that we are loved. When our eyes catch Jesus’ eyes – or rather, when we let ourselves be caught by the gaze of the One who came down from heaven to seek us and to meet our gaze – then, a quiet revolution of peace takes place in our soul. We see eye to eye the return of the Lord to Zion. We see the world restored to its original peace by our Creator. We see the glory of the only Son from the Father. He is His Word of Love who became flesh and dwelt among us in order to reveal to us the light of the gaze of our Father in heaven. The God whom no one has ever seen, was made known by the Son who is in the bosom of the Father.
We saw the light coming from the Father shining in the gaze of the baby in the crib. We saw and we believed. And we, too, became children of God. We, too, were born anew, “not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God”. For we, too, are children of light.
Beloved Brothers and Sisters, this is the good news of Christmas: “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all; if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.” (1 Jn 1:5.7) And this is our mission: “You are the light of the world. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 5:14.16)
Would that anyone meeting our gaze today meets with the light of Christ and knows the love of our Father!