Christmas: The End of Separation

 

The event of Christmas breaks the perceived duality between the divine and the human. Across cultures and religious traditions, God is often understood as distant—above, beyond, and separate from human life. Christmas, however, reveals a far deeper and more intimate truth about the human–divine relationship.

At the heart of Christmas is the proclamation that “the Word became flesh and lived among us” (John 1:14). God does not merely visit humanity but fully enters into human reality. As Friar Richard Rohr reflects, in Jesus the duality between the divine and the human is abolished—not by erasing distinction, but by rejecting separation. Rohr emphasizes that Jesus “makes visible the hiding place of God,” revealing that human life itself becomes the place where the mystery of divine–human union is disclosed. In Jesus Christ, divinity and humanity are shown to be one inseparable reality. The divine cannot be detached from the human life of Jesus; together they form a single, unified existence. Thus, in Christ, the long-standing split between God and humanity collapses.

This union is not meant to remain exclusive to Jesus. Scripture affirms that Christ is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15). To call Christ “firstborn” implies relationship—we are not outsiders but younger siblings, invited into the same pattern of life. Jesus is not the exception; he is the exemplar.

Jesus himself points toward this shared destiny when he says, “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30), and prays “that they may all be one… as we are one” (John 17:21). He goes even further by echoing Scripture: “You are gods” (John 10:34; cf. Psalm 82:6). These passages reveal a profound truth: God is not external to human life but intimately present within it.

Perhaps our struggle is not God’s absence but our lack of awareness. When we begin to recognize God as dwelling within us, our understanding of God, others, and ourselves shifts fundamentally. Christmas invites us to live from this truth—not as distant seekers, but as participants in the mystery of divine–human communion.

Questions for Reflection

1.     Where do I seek God—outside myself or within my lived experience?

2.     How can I recognize and honor God’s presence in others, especially amid human limitations?

3.     How do I respond to my own limitations, and what helps me live into my deeper human–divine identity?

Notes

Rohr, Richard. Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer. New York: Crossroad, 2003, p. 88.

Rohr, R. (2019). The Universal Christ: How a forgotten reality can change everything we see, hope for, and believe. Convergent Books.

Christmas: The End of Separation

Explore this theme in three different formats—each offering a unique way to reflect and engage: 

📄 Article: https://lifespring-wholeness.blogspot.com/2025/12/christmas-end-of-separation.html

🎧 Audio: https://youtu.be/J48g7NzcwCQ

🎥 Video: https://youtu.be/P_6zfttc1W4

Read, listen, watch—then comment and share!