Jesus Christ: Our Oxygen Mask Is Coming Down

The midpoint of Advent, our baby shower time for Jesus, is a joyful time. Gaudete Sunday: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near” (Phil 4:4-5). The promised redemption is already at hand. The pink candle of the Advent wreath is lit in addition to the two purple candles. While the first purple candle reminds us that Jesus is warning us to "stay awake!” For you do not know on which day your Lord will
come" (Mt 24: 42) the second calls us to action: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Mt 3: 2). The pink candle points out the joyous anticipation of the Lord’s coming. It is a foreshadowing of Messianic time when "the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them" (Mt 11: 5).  Such a joy the world experienced at the birth of Jesus is
already complete on the Sunday before Christmas, "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means 'God is with us'"(Mt 1: 23). This is a great mystery of our faith, the Incarnation.

The Logos, Word of God, was made flesh by being conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Why did God become man to be with us? Is there an image that can help us to get into the mystery of the incarnation beside theological concepts?

Those who have flown in an airplane have already heard flight attendants sharing some variation of the oxygen mask rule. “Should the cabin lose pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead area. Please place the mask over your own mouth and nose before assisting others.”  I am so fascinated by this image of the oxygen mask dropping down. It is an amazing illustration of the great mystery of the Incarnation we celebrate at Christmas.

When God created heaven and earth, all was good. His creation became very good after making man in his own image (Gn 1). All human beings had enough oxygen to enjoy life. Death had no power over him. However, his fall brought sin into being, with death as a result. This is compared to a lack of oxygen. Human beings became subject to death. Nevertheless, God the Father so loved us that he sent us his only Begotten Son, Jesus, as our oxygen mask. Like in the airplane, oxygen masks are deployed in situations where the oxygen level has dropped dangerously low. Jesus came down from heaven to provide us with the oxygen we need to be alive. This oxygen is the Holy Spirit who is Lord and giver of life.

Putting on our own mask should be our first priority, otherwise we will not be able to help anyone. How can we bring the Holy Spirit to others if we are not our-selves connected to Jesus, the provider sent by the Fa-ther? The oxygen mask points out that God the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God is at work for our redemption. God’s salvation is already mysteriously present in our midst but also yet to be fulfilled in the coming reign of God. Therefore, let us rejoice and prepare the way for God's Kingdom through our thoughts, words, and actions.