A Sermon Outline by Rev. Fr. Joseph Mary Gill, S.J. Director of the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Patrick
THIS Word was made Flesh!
This Word is the 2nd Person of the Holy Trinity!
This Word now lies as a puny Thing
as a little Thing
as a very small Thing
It lies under the heart of a mortal mother
not possessing even the free use of its senses
It lies there depending on each heart-beat of its mother
depending on every breath she draws.
This Word is reduced like every human infant,
to a state of extreme lowliness and utter helplessness.
“He emptied Himself” says Paul.
“He emptied Himself,
taking the form of a servant
being born in the likeness of men.
Though He was in the form of God
JESUS did not count equality with God
as a thing to be grasped
And being found in human form
He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death
even death on a cross.” (Phil. ii 6-8)
No Exaggeration this, but sober truth
The Word was made flesh
The Creator became His own creature
The source of all being and life
becomes a weak image of Himself.
Infinite wisdom has become folly,
the folly of the cross
Infinite sanctity assumed the guise of sin
to save the many
Infinity has found a dwelling in the womb of a Virgin
and soon angels will be singing above His crib.
Streams of love, pitying forgiving love
descend from the bosom of the Father and
become flesh in the womb of the Virgin
The Saviour is searching for one thing alone:
Hearts that suffer themselves to be found,
To be redeemed.
In view of this incomprehensible mystery of incarnate Love,
our souls should first be filled and penetrated
by a longing for redemption
Such a disposition is the fruit of that return to oneself
in which all the abysses of our nothingness stand revealed
We see the depth of our guilt
for which we are of ourselves incapable of
offering any atonement;
We see our complete powerlessness in the matter of salvation
This is that precious consciousness of sin which is
the genuine root and beginning of every conversion to God.
