My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Christmas is not only the celebration of historical fact, but it also allows us to enter into the process of being redeemed. It is a sign of the great and ultimate redemption for which we hope. At Christmas, we celebrate, in fact, the mystery for our own rebirth in the Holy Spirit, and we relive the mystery of our baptism. With the mystery of the new birth of Christ, we are called to become new creatures, because we are involved in the birth of Christ. Remember the words of Scripture, “You are my Son; today I have begotten You.” These words apply not only to Christ but also to us because we are the Body of Christ. At Christmas, we celebrate this great mystery.
Through the liturgical action of Christmas, we recognize a new birth and a new starting point for we who are members of the Church. We are sanctified by this new birth, and it puts us in touch with the Word that is made flesh. Truly, we need to celebrate the birth of the Lord not in a worldly way, but rather we must profess more deeply our faith in a world that has made Christmas an economic event.
Our preparation during Advent will lead us to a different place where the birth of Christ is truly an opportunity for realigning our priorities and beginning our spiritual life anew.
Every Christmas presents us with a new opportunity to live our lives in a Christ-centered way. We must ask ourselves the question, “Is Christ truly the center of my life? Do I make Him the center of my Christmas celebration?” All of the good traditions, family reunions and all of the gifts, which we give with great love, need to return us to understand the mystery that we celebrate in Christ’s birth. It is the mystery of God’s graciousness to us by sending His Son to be born into the world in poverty so that we might become rich in grace.
Every Christmas we put out into the deep mystery of the birth of God as man. How great is this mystery and how difficult it is for us to comprehend it all at once. But little by little, if we try, we will understand the depth of this mystery and be consoled that we know that God is with us in Jesus Christ.
