And the Word became flesh

25 DECEMBER (Jn 1,1-18)

With divine and eternal revealed wisdom the Apostle John puts every man before the true mystery of Christ Jesus. John had contemplated Jesus in his humanity and in some way through it he had been opened to the true faith. However, it was not yet a perfect faith, exhaustive of the whole mystery of Jesus.

Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may (come to) believe. For this happened so that the scripture passage might be fulfilled: “Not a bone of it will be broken.” And again another passage says: “They will look upon him whom they have pierced” (Jn 19,31-37).

In his Gospel John does not have the Mount of Transfiguration. He replaces that mountain with the Golgotha, the Calvary, the true mountain of the manifestation of Christ in his truth of true Lamb of God and of true new Temple of the Lord. But this mountain is not enough to him, nor is the vision that he himself says in the Apocalypse, enough.
Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and when I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, 12 wearing an ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest. The hair of his head was as white as white wool or as snow, and his eyes were like a fiery flame. His feet were like polished brass refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing water. In his right hand he held seven stars. A sharp two-edged sword came out of his mouth, and his face shone like the sun at its brightest (Rev 1,12-16).

John needs an even higher mount and an even more complete view. The Lord carries him for a moment into his eternity, before time; and he shows the true identity of Jesus the Lord. It is from this vision from eternity that John understands the mystery of Christ in the flesh, because now he knows who that man on whose heart he had leaned his head, is: he is the Only Son of the Father, he is his Eternal Word.

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.

Today, the Christian no longer sees Jesus from the mountain of eternity, from which John contemplates him. He no longer sees him even from mountain Golgotha or Tabor. He sees him from the depths of hell of his feelings and his thoughts of deceit, falsehood, error, heresy and the full absence of the very revealed truth. He sees him only from his mind with a distorted vision. We are going beyond the very Gnosticism, enlightenment and all ancient and modern heresy. We are relativizing Lord Jesus. Only a man, one of many men.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels and Saints give us the full truth of Jesus.