by Fr. Tommy Lane
“Who are you?” I do not mean what is your name but “Who are you?” We get a feast of answers to that question in the Scripture readings today. As we continue to reflect on the birth of Jesus in this Christmas season, our Scripture readings today show us how to understand who we are in the light of Jesus.
Who are you? Today’s Gospel gives us part of the answer. It says,
He [Jesus] was with
God in the beginning.
Through him [Jesus] all things came to be,
not one thing had its being but through him.
All that came to be
had life in him (John 1:2-4)
So, a part of the answer to the question is that you were created by Jesus.
Through him [Jesus]
all things came to be,
not one thing had its being but through
him. (John 1:3)
You were created by Jesus. Think of how precious you are to Jesus.
We get more of the answer to the question in our second reading today, an excerpt of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Today’s excerpt began
Blessed be God the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us
with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ. (Eph 1:3)
So, we are those who have been blessed by God the Father. The blessings we have received from God our Father are spiritual blessings. We have received these blessings in Christ, in other words, as a result of our union with Christ through baptism. The letter then goes on to list these blessings. The first blessing is
Before the world was
made, he [the Father] chose us, chose us in Christ,
to be holy
and spotless, and to live through love in his presence. (Eph 1:4)
The reading says even before creation, the Father had chosen us to be united with Jesus, to have the life of Jesus in us through the sacraments and prayer. The Father chose us to be holy and spotless, in other words, to live our lives in the way God sees us. My opening question again was “Who are you?” We get answers in our second reading and those answers are very different from the answers you get elsewhere—very different from the answers that you get on TV, on the internet, and very different from the disgusting things that we sometimes hear other people say.
The second blessing in our reading is that “we should become the Father’s adopted sons, through Jesus Christ” (Eph 1:5). So even before creation, the Father had decided to adopt us as his sons and daughters because of what Jesus did for us. We were made in the image and likeness of God but being adopted as God’s sons and daughters is so much more than that. The reading says we were adopted as God’s sons through Jesus. We could only be adopted as God’s sons because of what Jesus did for us. We received the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, because of what Jesus did for us. Receiving the Holy Spirit makes us sons and daughters of God. Our Gospel today says,
to all who did accept
him [Jesus]
he gave power to become children of God (John 1:12)
So those who accept Jesus, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and become sons and daughters of God. Again, my opening question was “Who are you?” We continue to get answers in our second reading. Those answers are very different from the answers you get elsewhere—very different from the answers that you get on TV, on the internet, and very different from the disgusting things that we sometimes hear other people say. Isn’t it better therefore, to avoid those things on TV and elsewhere that do not reflect who you are as a son or daughter of God? Why would you want to watch something that does not reflect who you are?
Following the first two blessings, the letter lists many other blessings which are not in our excerpt today, but the excerpt today concludes with a prayer:
May he [the Father] enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit. (Eph 1:18)
It is a prayer that we see and perceive who we really are. Perceiving who we really are, we will see the hope that God’s call has for us, and the glories that the saints will inherit, in other words, we will grasp that God’s plans for us are literally out of this world.
Who are you? The Gospel says you were created by Jesus. The second reading today says you have been blessed with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ. The first blessing is that before creating the world, God chose you to be united with Jesus and to be holy and spotless, to live as God sees you. The second blessing is that because of what Jesus did for you, you received the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, making you sons and daughters of God. Who are you?
May he [the Father] enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit. (Eph 1:18)
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2021
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for the Second after Christmas
Taking Jesus home 2020
Now I know why you had to do it: a Christmas Parable
God does care about you: the Word became flesh and lived among us
Second Reading see Enlightened to our calling and destiny
Second Reading see Chosen by God
stories for Christmas