The above line comes from a powerful homily given by Pope Leo at this Christmas Eve mass. Its context is the following.
"To find the Savior, one must not gaze upward, but look below; the omnipotence of God shines forth in the powerlessness of a newborn; the eloquence of the eternal Word resounds in an infant's first cry; the holiness of the Spirit gleams in that small body".
They are so revolutionary for they go against the grain of the natural human instinct, or should I say, what is accepted as the natural ways of humanity. For who in the world would only arm themselves with the love of God? Who would become gentle and reconciliatory upon seeing the wounded and afflicted? Who would relinquish their perceived right to have control and power over the other, especially when the other is wrong?
The Gospel is revolutionary stuff. Once we get that, we may come to understand why we are here and what we are on about in this life. It is a great ideal. It is sound vision for life, but think about living it everyday. War is not just out there somewhere. It begins in the heart, at the grassroots. Here, we build life and prosper with each other, prosper with our own self, or we don't.
This past week, I was touched by a true tale in my life. Here I am again being Fr John and helping another westerner in My Bangkok. I was asked why I am doing this as the person is most difficult, even self-destructive.
I naturally responded, "She has rights and she has dignity that must be respected".
The family member replied, "I know very few people like you here at home".
I just naturally thought, "Isn't that what we do? As Christians?"
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