AND HIS OWN RECEIVED HIM NOT

"And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us."  Thus speak the words of the Gospel of Light, which in happier times was read at the end of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  "And He came unto His own.  And His own received Him not."  And why, after all, should they receive this lowly Babe born in a manger when they, in their excessive pride, had expected a majestic King vested with all worldly power and glory?  What matter to them were the prophetic descriptions of the Messianic psalms and revelations?  Those which foretold His humble beginnings and ignominious death at the hands of those whom He would come to save?  Their pride-filled minds and hearts choked with greed for worldly wealth and power could not tolerate the teachings of One Who told them that His kingdom was not of this world; One Who admonished their worldly ways as emanating from the Prince of the World, the Father of Lies, Satan; One Who repeatedly warned that those who follow Him must reject the spirit of worldliness.  Thus it was that His chosen twelve were poor fisherman and the like, men of little stature in the eyes of "the world," men who repeated the admonitions of their Master against the "ways of the world."

            And the light from the manger spread over the earth and others received Him, who were born "not of the will of the flesh."  And His teachings were preached in all nations and multitudes chose to take up their cross and follow Him.  But the worldly visions of power and glory remained in the hearts of some.  And their desire to be redeemed while at the same time rejecting the poverty and humility of the manger made them desperate for a "new gospel" which would permit them redemption without the cross.  Through the centuries men such as these severed themselves from the Vine and created their own heretical, apostatical, and schismatic imitations of the One, True Church established by the Babe in the Manger.  But these who could not abide by the fullness of His teachings were never able to lead astray the main body of the flock....until.  Until a new age came upon mankind, an age in which even the main body of the flock had drunk so freely from the well of materialism that the multitudes could not reconcile their worldly way of living with the gospel of the Crucified.  And so, having "itching ears," they sought teachers "after their own lusts." Teachers who would not admonish their lusts for worldly wealth and glory.  Teachers who would replace the poor Babe in the lowly manger with Chardinian visions which would sanctify their new "religion of man"- glorified-man, man who would evolve into godlike glory.... "NON SERVIAM" - the cry of the Prince of the World made the earth tremble.  And all signs of the Divine were abolished by the new religion of man.  The sacred Mass was replaced by "the meal of the community."  The sacred altar was replaced by the community table.  The sacred doctrines were replaced by "realistic" adaptations to the new age, no longer a source of conflict to those who would be redeemed without abiding by "the hard sayings" of the Redeemer.  The sacred truths were replaced by the relativism of the new teachers and experts of the new one-world religion of man.  The Divine Presence became a source of embarrassment to those who turned their sacred churches into houses of dialogue and so the sacred tabernacles were replaced by the newly interpreted book of scriptures and the chair of the "president" (replacement for the sacred priesthood).  The sacred liturgy was replaced by the vulgarities of the new experts who had been given control over the perversion of the masses.  The sacred seasons of Lent and Advent were abolished because they did not conform to the worldly spirit of the new religion and because they were unpleasant reminders of the humility and poverty of the manger and ignominy of the Cross. The sacred office of Peter was replaced by more "democratic" adaptations to the ways of the world.  And all mankind began to feel itself throb with the new-found glory of the messianic vision in which all could play the role of messiah, with grand new campaigns to eliminate the "sins" of poverty, death, and disease, for these were the only real "sins" admitted to by the catechetics of the new religion of man.  And they continued to "honor Him with their lips" while mocking Him in their hearts."

            But even the great power of these demi-gods could not completely shut out the light emanating from the Babe in the manger.  And there remained a faithful few who kept His law and His love burning in their hearts.... awaiting the promise of better years and ever remembering that the gates of hell would not prevail against them....

"AND HE CAME UNTO HIS OWN AND HIS OWN RECEIVED HIM NOT!"