Magis Center Blog | Faith Questions & Answers

He Came in the Fullness of Time: A Reflection on the Incredible Mystery of Christ’s Birth

Written by Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D. | December 25, 2018

In unity with the whole church, Fr. Spitzer and the staff of the Magis Center would like to wish you a very merry and blessed Christmas day and season!

This is the day when the whole of sacredness, of all that is good, came into the world casting out the devil and his darkness.   

St. John Paul the Great proclaims:

“The birth of Jesus at Bethlehem is not an event which can be consigned to the past. The whole of human history in fact stands in reference to him: our own time and the future of the world are illumined by his presence. He is 'the Living One' (Rev 1:18), 'who is, who was and who is to come' (Rev 1:4)

At the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, history reconfigured itself so that it no longer acts as a sequence of events, but as reference point to His humble birth.

It is what J.R.R. Tolkien calls the “eucatastrophe” of history—the moment when light came into the world and dispelled darkness.

Christmas continues in the Eucharist

Through the sacrament of Holy Eucharist, these moments continues now and forever.  

History can now be pictured as Rafael’s Disputa del Sacramento where you see all that is good and holy coming into the world through the Holy Eucharist.

Raphael's Disputation of the Sacrament

 

St. John Paul the Great also writes:

“There is only one way that opens wide the entrance into the life of communion with God: this is Jesus, the one and absolute way to salvation. To him alone can the words of the Psalmist be applied in full truth: 'This is the door of the Lord where the just may enter' (Ps 118:20).”

The Eucharist is our door to Christmas day everyday. As you receive the Eucharist today, you are there, in Bethlehem, aiding in Christ’s salvific mission.  

May the peace of Christmas be upon you this season!