In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God,
and the Word was God [Jn 1:1]
And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us [Jn 1:14]
Jesus came to restore our souls the immortality that we lost in Paradise through our first parents, during His ministry He healed the sick in order to prove that He had the power to forgive sins and also to show His merciful Love. He also came to teach us the Wisdom of God, the Way of Salvation, Imitation of his life and to follow him.
[Isaiah 53:11]
Because his soul has laboured, he shall see and be filled [ 1]: by his knowledge shall this my just servant justify many [ 2] , and he shall bear their iniquities [ 3].
Let us examine this passage which sums up the work of Jesus Christ our Saviour:
Because his soul has laboured, he shall see and be filled:
The work of our Redemption involved the death on Jesus on the cross. He had to satisfy Divine Justice giving his life in exchange for our lives. So because of the merits of his holy sacrifice, by his wounds we are healed from the wounds of our sins. He said at the last moment "It is accomplished"
By his knowledge shall this my just servant justify many
Jesus is the Word of God who became flesh, He is the second person of the Holy Trinity. He is the Wisdom of God and He came to share His Wisdom by becoming The Way to the Father. The Gospels are the teachings of Christ and they lead us to Salvation. We are justified by believing in Jesus Christ, in fact this is the Work of God: to believe in the One that He has sent, Our Lord Jesus Christ. [John 6:29]
And he shall bear their iniquities
By his passion, agony and death, Jesus suffered for our sins. He took upon himself the punishment due for our sins because He is the Love of God made man, who loves us in such a merciful way that is difficult to understand. By his holy wounds we are healed. [Read Isaiah Chapter 53]
Jesus came to be the Good Shepherd following the prediction made by the Lord Yahweh: I myself will be the Shepherd of my sheep [Ezekiel 34:15] ;
Jesus says: I am the Good Shepherd [John 10:11-14]
[Ph. 2.10-11]
So that in honour of the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth: And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
[Luke 1:26-56 Lk 2:1-21]
In brief:
The Virgin Mary received the visitation of the Archangel Gabriel who said to Her:
Hail Mary, full of Grace [which means filled with the favour of God], the Lord is with Thee, blessed are Thou amongst women. You shall conceive a child who will be great, He shall be called Son of the Most High and the Lord will give Him the throne of his Father David. Then the angel explained to Mary that because she was a virgin, she would conceive by the Power of God, since the Holy Spirit would overshadow her. Mary sang the Magnificat which is a song of praise to God for sending the Saviour to the world.
The Virgin Mary was betrothed to a man named Joseph, but before they got married She was already pregnant. Joseph wanted to divorce her silently, to avoid unnecessary publicity but an angel came in his dreams and revealed to Him that her child was conceived by the Power of the Holy Spirit, and his name would be Jesus, the Saviour of Mankind.
The baby was born on a starry night, the angels came to the world and rejoiced at his birth singing Glory to God in the Highest and Peace to men of good will on earth. They directed some shepherds to the place where Jesus was born.
Three wise men from the east also came to pay homage to Our Saviour, they were guided by a star.
The Saviour of the world was born in a cold cave, because his parents could not find a place where to spend the night, all doors were closed to the expectant mother and child. When He was born, He was wrapped with swaddling clothes and was put to lay in a manger, surrounded by an ox and a donkey to keep him warm.
His coming was not welcome, except by the poor and the humble. The humble saviour was unknown to the world until he started performing miracles, this caused the learned Pharisees and the priests of his time to be jealous and later on He was put to death on a cross for implying that He was the Son of God.
THE ARABIC GOSPEL OF THE INFANCY OF THE SAVIOUR
IN the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God.
With the help and favour of the Most High we begin to write a book of the miracles of our Lord and Master and Saviour Jesus Christ, which is called the Gospel of the Infancy: in the peace of the Lord. Amen.
1. We find (1) what follows in the book of Joseph the high priest, who lived in the time of Christ. Some say that he is Caiaphas. (2) He has said that Jesus spoke, and, indeed, when He was lying in His cradle said to Mary His mother: I am Jesus, the Son of God, the Logos, whom thou hast brought forth, as the Angel Gabriel announced to thee; and my Father has sent me for the salvation of the world.
2. In the three hundred and ninth year of the era of Alexander, Augustus put forth an edict, that every man should be enrolled in his native place. Joseph therefore arose, and taking Mary his spouse, went away to (3) Jerusalem, and came to Bethlehem, to be enrolled along with his family in his native city. And having come to a cave, Mary told Joseph that the time of the birth was at hand, and that she could not go into the city; but, said she, let us go into this cave. This took place at sunset. And Joseph went out in haste to go for a woman to be near her. When, therefore, he was busy about that, he saw an Hebrew old woman belonging to Jerusalem, and said: Come hither, my good woman, and go into this cave, in which there is a woman near her time.
3. Wherefore, after sunset, the old woman, and Joseph
with her, came
to the cave, and they both went in. And, behold, it was filled with lights
more beautiful than the gleaming of lamps and candles, (4) and more
splendid than the light of the sun. The child, enwrapped in swaddling
clothes, was sucking the breast of the Lady Mary His mother, being placed
in a stall. And when both were wondering at this light, the old woman asks
the Lady Mary: Art thou the mother of this Child? And when the Lady Mary
gave her assent, she says: Thou art not at all like the daughters of Eve.
The Lady Mary said: As my son has no equal among children, so his mother
has no equal among women. The old woman replied: My mistress, I came to get
payment; I have been for a long time affected with palsy. Our mistress the
Lady Mary said to her: Place thy hands upon the child. And the old woman
did so, and was immediately cured. Then she went forth, saying: Henceforth
I will be the attendant and servant of this child all the days of my life.
4. Then came shepherds; and when they had lighted a fire, and were rejoicing greatly, there appeared to them the hosts of heaven praising and celebrating God Most High. And while the shepherds were doing the same, the cave was at that time made like a temple of the upper world, since both heavenly and earthly voices glorified and magnified God on account of the birth of the Lord Christ. And when that old Hebrew woman saw the manifestation of those miracles, she thanked God, saying: I give Thee thanks, O God, the God of Israel, because mine eyes have seen the birth of the Saviour of the world.
5. And the time of circumcision, that is, the eighth day, being
at
hand, the child was to be circumcised according to the law. Wherefore they
circumcised Him in the cave. And the old Hebrew woman took the piece of
skin; but some say that she took the navel-string, and laid it past in a
jar of old oil of nard. And she had a son, a dealer in unguents, and she
gave it to him, saying: See that thou do not sell this jar of unguent of
nard, even although three hundred denarii (5) should be offered thee for
it. And this is that jar which Mary the sinner bought and poured upon the
head and feet of our Lord Jesus Christ, which thereafter she wiped with the
hair of her head. (1) Ten days after, they took Him to Jerusalem; and on
the fortieth day (2) after His birth they carried Him into the temple, and
set Him before the Lord, and offered sacrifices for Him, according to the
command-meet of the law of Moses, which is: Every male that openeth the
womb shall be called the holy of God. (3)
6. Then old Simeon saw Him shining like a pillar of light, when
the
Lady Mary, His virgin mother, rejoicing over Him, was carrying Him in her
arms. And angels, praising Him, stood round Him in a circle, like life
guards standing by a king. Simeon therefore went up in haste to the Lady
Mary, and, with hands stretched out before her, said to the Lord Christ:
Now, O my Lord, let Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word; for
mine eyes have seen Thy compassion, which Thou hast prepared for the
salvation of all peoples, a light to all nations, and glory to Thy people
Israel. Hanna also, a prophetess, was present, and came up, giving thanks
to God, and calling the Lady Mary blessed. (4)
7. And it came to pass, when the Lord Jesus was born at Bethlehem of Judaea, in the time of King Herod, behold, magi came from the east to Jerusalem, as Zeraduscht (5) had predicted; and there were with them gifts, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And they adored Him, and presented to Him their gifts. Then the Lady Mary took one of the swaddling-bands, and, on account of the smallness of her means, gave it to them; and they received it from her with the greatest marks of honour. And in the same hour there appeared to them an angel in the form of that star which had before guided them on their journey; and they went away, following the guidance of its light, until they arrived in their own country. (6)
8. And their kings and chief men came together to them, asking what they had seen or done, how they had gone and come back, what they had brought with them. And they showed them that swathing-cloth which the Lady Mary had given them. Wherefore they celebrated a feast, and, according to their custom, lighted a fire and worshipped it, and threw that swathing-cloth into it; and the fire laid hold of it, and enveloped it. And when the fire had gone out, they took out the swathing-cloth exactly as it had been before, just as if the fire had not touched it. Wherefore they began to kiss it, a nd to put it on their heads and their eyes, saying: This verily is the truth without doubt. Assuredly it is a great thing that the fire was not able to burn or destroy it. Then they took it, and with the greatest honour laid it up among their treasures.
9. And when Herod saw that the magi had left him, and not come
back to
him, he summoned the priests and the wise men, and said to them: Show me
where Christ is to be born. And when they answered, In Bethlehem of Judaea,
he began to think of putting the Lord Jesus Christ to death. Then appeared
an angel of the Lord to Joseph in his sleep, and said: Rise, take the boy
and His mother, and go away into Egypt. (7) He rose, therefore, towards
cockcrow, and set out.
10. While he is reflecting how be is to set about his journey,
morning
came upon him after he had gone a very little way. And now he was
approaching a great city, in which there was an idol, to which the other idols and gods of the Egyptians offered gifts and vows. And there stood
before this idol a priest ministering to him, who, as often as Satan spoke
from that idol, reported it to the inhabitants of Egypt and its
territories. This priest had a son, three years old, beset by several
demons; and he made many speeches and utterances; and when the demons
seized him, he tore his clothes, and remained naked, and threw stones at
the people. And there was a hospital in that city dedicated to that idol.
And when Joseph and the Lady Mary had come to the city, and had turned
aside into that hospital, the citizens were very much afraid; and all the
chief men and the priests of the idols came together to that idol, and said
to it: What agitation and commotion is this that has arisen in our land?
The idol answered them: A God has come here in secret, who is God indeed;
nor is any god besides Him worthy of divine worship, because He is truly
the Son of God. And when this land became aware of His presence, it
trembled at His arrival, and was moved and shaken; and we are exceedingly
afraid from the greatness of His power. And in the same hour that idol fell
down, and at its fall all, inhabitants of Egypt and others, ran together.
11. And the son of the priest, his usual disease having come
upon him,
entered the hospital, and there came upon Joseph and the Lady Mary, from
whom all others had fled. The Lady Mary had washed the cloths of the Lord
Christ, and had spread them over some wood. That demoniac boy, therefore,
came and took one of the cloths, and put it on his head. Then the demons,
fleeing in the shape of ravens and serpents, began to go forth out of his
mouth. The boy, being immediately healed at the command of the Lord Christ,
began to praise God, and then to give thanks to the Lord who had healed
him. And when his father saw him restored to health, My son, said he, what
has happened to thee? and by what means hast thou been healed? The son
answered: When the demons had thrown me on the ground, I went into the
hospital, and there I found an august woman with a boy, whose newly-washed
cloths she had thrown upon some wood: one of these I took up and put upon
my head, and the demons left me and fled. At this the father rejoiced
greatly, and said: My son, it is possible that this boy is the Son of the
living God who created the heavens and the earth: for when he came over to
us, the idol was broken, and all the gods fell, and perished by the power
of his magnificence.
12. Here was fulfilled the prophecy which says, Out of Egypt
have I
called my son. (1) Joseph indeed, and Mary, when they heard that that idol
had fallen down and perished, trembled, and were afraid. Then they said:
When we were in the land of Israel, Herod thought to put Jesus to death,
and on that account slew all the children of Bethlehem and its confines;
and there is no doubt that the Egyptians, as soon as they have heard that
this idol has been broken, will burn us with fire. (2)
13. Going out thence, they came to a place where there were
robbers who
had plundered several men of their baggage and clothes, and had bound them.
Then the robbers heard a great noise, like the noise of a magnificent king
going out of his city with his army, and his chariots and his drums; and at
this the robbers were terrified, and left all their plunder. And their
captives rose up, loosed each other's bonds, recovered their baggage, and
went away. And when they saw Joseph and Mary coming up to the place, they
said to them: Where is that king, at the hearing of the magnificent sound
of whose approach the robbers have left us, so that we have escaped safe?
Joseph answered them: He will come behind us.
14. Thereafter they came into another city, where there was a
demoniac
woman whom Satan, accursed and rebellious, had beset, when on one occasion
she had gone out by night for water. She could neither bear clothes, nor
live in a house; and as often as they tied her up with chains and thongs,
she broke them, and fled naked into waste places; and, standing in cross-roads and cemeteries, she kept throwing stones at people, and brought very
heavy calamities upon her friends. And when the Lady Mary saw her, she
pitied her; and upon this Satan immediately left her, and fled away in the
form of a young man, saying: Woe to me from thee, Mary, and from thy son.
So that woman was cured of her torment, and being restored to her senses,
she blushed on account of her nakedness; and shunning the sight of men,
went home to her friends. And after she put on her clothes, she gave an
account of the matter to her father and her friends; and as they were the
chief men of the city, they received the Lady Mary and Joseph with the
greatest honour and hospitality.
15. On the day after, being supplied by them with provision for
their
journey, they went away, and on the evening of that day arrived at another
town, in which they were celebrating a marriage; but, by the arts of
accursed Satan and the work of enchanters, the bride had become dumb, and
could not speak a word. And after the Lady Mary entered the town, carrying
her son the Lord Christ, that dumb bride saw her, and stretched out her
hands towards the Lord Christ, and drew Him to her, and took Him into her
arms, and held Him close and kissed Him, and leaned over Him, moving His
body back and forwards. Immediately the knot of her tongue was loosened,
and her ears were opened; and she gave thanks and praise to God, because
He had restored her to health. And that night the inhabitants of that town
exulted with joy, and thought that God and His angels had come down to
them.
16. There they remained three days, being held in great honour, and living splendidly. Thereafter, being supplied by them with provision for their journey, they went away and came to another city, in which, because it was very populous, they thought of passing the night. And there was in that city an excellent woman: and once, when she had gone to the river to bathe, lo, accursed Satan, in the form of a serpent, had leapt upon her, and twisted himself round her belly; and as often as night came on, he tyrannically tormented her. This woman, seeing the mistress the Lady Mary, and the child, the Lord Christ, in her bosom, was struck with a longing for Him, and said to the mistress the Lady Mary: O mistress, give me this child, that I may carry him, and kiss him. She therefore gave Him to the woman; and when He was brought to her, Satan let her go, and fled and left her, nor did the woman ever see him after that day. Wherefore all who were present praised God Most High, and that woman bestowed on them liberal gifts
It was almost two thousand years ago that the Saviour of mankind was born to the world. His coming was such a historical event that the modern world started the calendars on the year of his birth.
Not only was it important because such a man had never existed, full of Power, Wisdom and Love, but because He was the Son of God, the awaited Messiah, the Redeemer, the Anointed One of God.
His coming to the world attracted the following of those who were destined to be saved. For the humble, the poor, the marginalised, Jesus is the man.
People of all walks of life are invited to follow Jesus all the way to our Heavenly home.
As we remember the coming of Our Lord in the season of Advent or the Christmas season, we are celebrating our liberation from the slavery of sin, because Jesus is our Saviour. We also celebrate His new coming in Glory as He has predicted. Christmas day is the birthday of Our Lord Jesus, a day to praise God for having loved the world so much that He gave us His only begotten son, so that anyone who believes in Him will be saved. [John 3:16]
Christmas is truly a "holy day" unfortunately the word holiday now replaces what is holy for a day of leisure.
The word Christmas has been replaced by the word Xmas, which means that we don't want to honour the holy name of Christ, so we just have crossed it out.
And we have crossed it out in many ways.
We should recollect ourselves very specially during the Christmas season and celebrate the gift that we have received by thanking God for the gift of His son, by being very kind and loving to one another and by sharing our love with others.
Another point that must be clear is that Santa Claus is not the main event of Christmas, this holy day has been replaced by an opportunity to sell, this holy season has been commercialised and it uses Santa Claus to distribute gifts disregarding in many cases the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ : "You'd better watch out" Christ is coming to town.
But we might say that it is too late to change tradition, well this is true. Where is the world heading to? We are neglecting to give to God what is God's, because we are so happy doing things for ourselves.
Many people all over the world have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas because of some newer traditions. The birth of Christ has been replaced by the New Xmas, pagan celebrations which have nothing to do with Him any more.
Include Jesus in your life this Christmas season and discover what you have been created for. Thank God for sending His Son to save you, celebrate not only his birth but also his death because that is what truly saves you. Meditate on the coming of Our Saviour to the world and live forever.
Make everyday of your life a true Christmas where Jesus is born not in a cold cave in Bethlehem but in your heart. Welcome and love Him with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your mind and with all your strength.
Let Christ be born in your life and become yourself born again to life.
Jesus loves us.
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