Colossians 2:8-12; Luke 2:20-21,
40-52
The great
mystery of the Son of God becoming a human being shines brightly today as we celebrate
the feast of the Circumcision of Jesus Christ.
Like any other Jewish male, He endured the procedure that was the mark
of becoming an heir to the promises to Abraham.
He is not, of course, simply another child of Hebrew heritage, but also the
eternal Word Who spoke the universe into existence. Nonetheless, He humbles Himself today to be
circumcised in the flesh as were His forefathers.
St. Paul, a
former Pharisee and expert in the Jewish law, strongly opposed requiring
Gentiles to be circumcised in order to become Christians. He knew that Christ had fulfilled the
promises of the Old Testament such that they were extended to all people who
have faith in the Messiah. He writes to
the Colossians that “you have come to fullness of life in Him, Who is the head
of all rule and authority. In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision
made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of
Christ…” Elsewhere St. Paul teaches that
true circumcision is “of the heart, in the spirit, and not of the letter” of
the law. (Rom. 2: 29) He knew that Christ’s circumcision is a sign that He
fulfilled the requirements of the law and enabled all with faith in Him to find
a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees because it extends
to the very depths of our existence, to our hearts.
Consequently, the
only way worthily to celebrate His circumcision is for us to perfect the circumcision
of our hearts. That means purifying
them, cutting off their corruption by uniting ourselves to the God-Man from the
depths of our souls. And there is no
upward limit to this calling. Remember
that the Lord interpreted the Old Testament law to forbid not only murder, but
also anger and insults--and not only adultery, but also lust. He did not simply call His disciples to limit
vengeance to an eye for an eye, but to forgive and bless even their
enemies. (Matt. 5:20 ff.) His concern is
not simply with outward appearances, conventional morality, or going through
the motions. By becoming fully human
even as He remained fully divine, He enables us to become perfect in love for
God and neighbor even as He is perfect. Such
a life cannot be captured by even the best words and ideas.
If we reduce our
high calling to legalism or a simple list of deeds to perform, we will have
missed the point. For being united with
Christ in holiness is not a matter of simply doing this or that by our own will
power. As St. Paul reminded the
Colossians, “you were buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised
with Him through faith in the working of God, Who raised Him from the
dead.” We obviously cannot conquer sin
and death by even our best actions or thoughts.
As St. Paul taught, “By grace you have been saved through faith, and
that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.” (Eph. 2.:8.)
There is no
avoiding the truth that the more fully we unite ourselves to our Savior in
daily prayer from our hearts, the more we will participate personally in His
blessed life. We shape ourselves by what we think about,
what we fill our hearts with, and what we love and hope for. Let us celebrate the Circumcision of our Lord
by orienting ourselves from the depths of our souls to the One Who has
fulfilled and extended the ancient promises to Abraham even to us. That means turning the thoughts of our hearts
back to Him in the Jesus Prayer as often as we possibly can. It means opening our hearts to Him in focused
prayer each day. It means keeping a
close watch on our thoughts and refusing to accept and fuel those that are
corrupt and inflame our self-centered desires and fears.
It means taking
our place in the unfolding of God’s salvation by cutting off from our hearts
and minds all that would separate us from embracing as fully as possible the
great mystery of the One Who was circumcised in the flesh on the eighth day. That is how we will find the strength to serve
Him faithfully not only in this New Year, but all the years of our lives. That is how our faith will become more than a
collection of quaint customs and rituals, but truly our participation in
eternal life as whole human beings. That is surely His will for us all as we
celebrate this feast of our salvation in the God-Man Who became one of us in
order that we might become like Him in holiness. That is the good news that we celebrate this
day.
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