SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
‘The Word was made flesh, he lived among us’
It’s no wonder that we strike our breasts when, during the recitation of the Angelus we utter the statement ‘The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us’. Because He pitched His tent in our midst and became one of us the human family has been dignified, graced beyond measure and raised to a new level. It means that He understands us ‘from the inside’. It is altogether appropriate that we should celebrate, rejoice and be glad. It is as though the Church were appealing to us before we leave the Christmas season to remember the central message of these days. It is interesting to recall that in the years before the Second Vatican Council this extract from the beginning of St. John’s Gospel was proclaimed before the Final Blessing at the end of every Mass. Known as the Last Gospel it reminded the faithful before their dismissal of the Good News at the centre of their faith. May we hear it anew today