20 December, Day 5

Uniting heaven and earth

Luke 1:26-38

This is the center of the immediate preparation for Christmas - the exact moment Jesus is conceived not only in Mary but in all of us; that solemn moment where heaven and earth meet, and the Word now becomes flesh and makes his dwelling in us.

I would also liken this to the exact moment of conception - not when a woman discovers that she's pregnant. It's even prior to that; and no one except God alone knows that exact time and space conception begins.  And the only way anti-life advocates can succeed is either way: when artificial means can hinder the egg from meeting the sperm, or when the united conceived human being is being aborted, "brutally killed" so to speak.

The union between heaven and earth is what we aspire.  And for those who have fallen out of faith, the only thing that matter is earth, though there are no signs of heaven anywhere except in the figments of their imagination.

But it is important to view heaven according only to God who made heaven and earth, both seen and unseen.

Thus, in order to appreciate the indwelling of Jesus, it is important that we rid ourselves of all negativities and preconceived notions and allow God to touch us and mold our thoughts and judgments.  "From then on I want to see the Church from from point of view of God and not how I view it."  Let this be our main theme.

How do we view this union between heaven and earth, between our own world and God's world?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us three things regarding the "word made flesh":

First, the Word became flesh "in order to save us by reconciling us with God".  Such is the intention of God and thus, He made it His initiative to work out the process of salvation.  The second reason has it - "so that thus, we might know God's love."

The third reason for the Word to become flesh "is to be our model of holiness."  The model for living is not how good we are in this world, but how Jesus lived among us.

The fourth reason for us to be "partakers of the divine nature."   There is no reason for us to remain in a worldly state.  Let us also strive to seek for the things of heaven, not of earth.  Finally, let us allow heaven to envelop earth and truly make it God's own world.

By now, we should have realized in the level of the heart that it is only Jesus who causes the union of heaven and earth.


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