Today is the feast of a unique and largely unknown Saint named Peter Chrysologus, a fifth century Doctor of the Church, meaning he is a great theologian. He wrote something so beautiful in the Reading from the Liturgy of the Hours that I wish to share. St. Peter spoke and wrote eloquently about the Incarnation of Christ, the Christmas mystery of the Nativity.
In the reading given in today’s Liturgy, he writes about how God freely decided to become the very same substance in which he created US, humanity... human beings...Adam and Eve. God became “dirt” or “clay”, uniting his Divinity with this created human being called “Jesus”, infusing this man, not only with body and blood, but soul and divinity. . Divinity and Humanity came together in the dirt of the earth. The Conception and Birth of this human/divine Jesus forever changed the created world and all of humanity. In the flesh and blood of Jesus is the flesh and blood of every human being that lived, is living and will live.
The “dirt” or clay comes in many colors, shapes and sizes. If each Christian truly “gets” the mystery of God uniting with “dirt”, that Christian CAN’T be racist!!!!
Imposible!!!! When Christ entered our humanity, in all of its sinfulness and grittiness, ALL humanity was blessed and reverenced. St. Peter Chrysologus loved the Truth of the Incarnation and taught something so beautiful: we are to make the God who can’t be seen...seen; we are to make the God who is invisible... visible IN OUR HUMANITY.
We are to be spiritual forces of reconciliation, of justice leading to peace, of patience in the storms of life, respecting people who disagree, praying for those who are Christian in name only, looking hard in the mirror at our own sinfulness. The Christmas Mystery, the Word Made Flesh, not only unites divinity with humanity but vive versus: humanity is infused with divinity. What an awesome God this is, becoming dirt so we can have a share in His divinity.
Christmas starts it... Easter completes it... we live it and spread unto the ends of the earth.
Peace,
Fr. Frank