Today's Gospel in Art: The Word was the true light that enlightens all men

Fireworks on the Pont-Neuf, 1745. From 'The 18th Century Its Institutions, Customs, and Costumes. France' by Paul Lacroix © Alamy

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 31st December 2021 - John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.

What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.

He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.'") From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known.

Reflection on the Engraving

Our Gospel reading today is Saint John's Christmas story. It is set in the context of creation: 'in the beginning...' John implies that the beginning is exactly that: 'a beginning'… the story of Creation still continues. Creation is not an event of the past but it is also the ongoing life of God with his people. In this time after Christmas, John reminds us how God continues to give life to his people, every day.

Today is also the last day of the year. Many places will show fireworks. Historians believe that fireworks were invented already in the second century B.C. in ancient Liuyang, China. The first natural 'firecrackers' were short bamboo stalks which when thrown in a fire, would explode with a loud bang, because of the intense heat of the hollow stem. Later on around 900AD, this was developed by filling the stem with the first variant of gunpowder (potassium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal). Other chemicals were mixed into this powder to create different colours. The explosions also became more controlled and directed. By the time our engraving was made, depicting a scene in Paris from 1745, fireworks were already well developed.

In a way our faith has an element of 'fireworks' to it. If the shell just sits in a box, stowed away, it will never reach its potential and raison-d'être. We will never see the beauty it contains unless we ignite it! After all, we are called to be a light to the world. So maybe today, on New Year's Eve, we can think of how we can burst God's light into the night sky for 2022.

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/1039
Christian Art - www.christian.art/