The Word is timeless: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

The Word-made-flesh, however, signals a new and glorious dawn: “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

The Christmas Good News is Jesus, the Word, who is rooted in the messiness of our humanity. That which is light dwells in the darkness of our here and now: Scandal in the church. War in Iraq. The horror of 9/11. Racism. Addictions.

So how does the Christmas proclamation intersect with the reality of our lives? Christmas celebrates the revelation that we no longer need to fear the darkness. The inexplicable presence of God now penetrates and permeates our pain and darkness. The eternal Word, Jesus Christ, “pitches his tent among us.”

Ours is not a God who is afraid to get his hands dirty. Ours is not a savior who is aloof and removed. Jesus, the Word, embraces our flesh and becomes like us in all things but sin. He redeems the unredeemable.

That’s the good news Glenmary missioners are called to share in our U.S. home missions. A Glenmary missioner (priest, brother, coworker) strives to give flesh to the divine presence of God in our world. This, indeed, is also the responsibility of all baptized Christians. But a Glenmary missioner responds to that call in a unique way—by leaving mother and father and brothers and sisters and “pitching a tent in the midst of the mission areas of the United States.” Although every missioner is an imperfect reflection of the Word, he or she is, nonetheless, “a light that shines in the darkness.”

The missioner enfleshes the Word in the simplest of ways: pastoring a fledgling Catholic congregation; feeding a transient and listening to his story; welcoming strangers, especially our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters; feeding the hungry through food pantries/programs open to all; giving shelter to the homeless through leadership and participation in the Habitat for Humanity ministry.

Last issue I asked you to pray for vocations. I deeply appreciate the many responses I received assuring me of your prayers, and I hope they will continue.

But now I ask you for another favor: a kind of Christmas gift to Mission Land, USA. Between now and Christmas, please take 15 minutes to pray for one of our missioners who is lighting up the darkness in some home mission county. (If a name doesn’t come immediately to mind, just page through this site, especially the Meet a Missioner section.) Here is a suggestion for that prayer:

First, imagine you are driving on the interstate of life. Then pull off into a mental rest stop and pray over the words from John’s Gospel cited at the beginning of this column. Hear the promise of joy and hope. Reflect on the dark places where our world needs to experience the joy and hope that the Word brings.

At the end of 15 minutes, speak the name of a specific Glenmary priest, brother or coworker. Ask God to give this missioner the grace to enflesh the Word in his or her mission territory and to share the good news that God is truly with us.

I will also be praying that you and every Glenmary supporter has the grace you need to enflesh the Word and light up the darkness.