Lectio (Reading)
Read the passage twice and get a sense of what it is saying. Pay attention to what strikes you.In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him.
But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believe in his name,
who were born not by natural generation
nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision
but of God.
And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only Son,
full of grace and truth.
John testified to him and cried out, saying,
“This was he of whom I said,
‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’”
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side,
has revealed him.
Meditatio (Reflecting)
Slowly read the passage again, pausing on words or phrases that stands out. Take time to consider the meaning. particularly in your life.And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.
Oratio (Responding)
Read the passage again, slowly. Consider how God has spoken to you and respond back to Him. You may want to consider how this passage is asking you to act differently.This line from the bible speaks of a mystery we might never fully understand, even after this life, when we are in heaven.
Think about what humility it must have taken go from infinite and perfect God in heaven, to the finite and very imperfect man on earth. I always think of the genie in the Aladdin cartoon, when he says being a genie is like having “phenomenal cosmic power, in an itty-bitty living space”. It might be blasphemy, to use that analogy, but it always makes me think of this reading, and the incredible act of putting His omnipotent divine nature into a very limited human body.
Many church fathers have contemplated this mystery, and all have eventually agreed that Jesus was fully man and fully divine. That is why it is a mystery…, how can it be that an infinite God could exist in a finite body. This is where speculative theology comes in. I suggest that Jesus was completely divine, but in in his Human form he was perfect…, when he was a baby he was the most perfect baby that ever was, when he was child he was the most perfect child that ever was, and when he was a man, he was the most perfect man that ever was. Although limited by human flesh, Jesus taught us how to live, and showed us what a human is supposed to be, and the way all humans were before the fall.
That is the reason for this amazing gift of love, God wanted a way to help us to reject original sin, and to return to the garden with Him. God loves us so much that he sacrificed Himself for us, what are you willing to sacrifice for Him?
Contemplatio (Contemplating)
Take time to simply remain in the presence of God.Resolutio (Resolving)
Make a resolution that will improve your life, your relationships, or your faith. Make it small and attainable, and do it.Oh lord, help me today to recognize your love and sacrifice for me, and to respond in a way that is righteous and commiserate with that love. Amen.