St. John Paul II said at the beginning of his first Christmas message as pope: “Christmas is the feast of humanity.”
It is a beautiful expression and it brings us to the heart of the joyful mystery we celebrate.
Jesus Christ was one of many children born in the world on that first Christmas Day. He was one of the billions of babies who have been born ever since the world began.
It is interesting that at the time when Jesus was born, the government was taking a census. “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled … So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.” The census is a curious detail in the Christmas story. I think this detail is meant to remind us how ordinary his birth was. He was just another child born to another working couple in an unnoticed corner of the Roman Empire. Jesus is a statistic, a number enrolled in the census. In fact, his family is so insignificant, they cannot even find room at the local inn; so their Child has to be born in a manger.
Jesus came into this world just like you did and just like I did — he spent nine months in the womb of his mother and was born into a human family.
But there is nothing ordinary about Christmas.
Jesus descends from a long line of people but he also comes down from heaven as the Son of God. Born at a moment when people were being counted by political authorities, Jesus shows us that every life “counts” and is precious in the eyes of God.
At Christmas we go with the shepherds to seek the Child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in the manger.
And in this Child that we find in the manger on Christmas Day, we find the meaning of our lives. In the face of this Child, we see the face of God. But we see something more. We see ourselves. We see who we are, and see who we are made to be.
That is why Christmas is the “feast of humanity.”
http://www.angelusnews.com/categories/archbishop-jose-h-gomez
Your email address will not be published.
We are excited to invite you to join the Napa Institute for our first Virtual Conference, “Finding Hope in the New America.” While we won’t be able to share conversation or a bottle of wine with you this year in person, we invite you to fill your glasses at home and toast the hope we have in the Napa Institute Family and in our Faith. Join speakers such as Cardinal George Pell, Dr. Scott Hahn, Curtis Martin, and many more as they address issues ranging from socialism to how to answer our call to evangelization in a hostile world. In these unprecedented times in our nation, we must view all the critical issues through a Catholic lens, with great hope in Christ.
Believe In God | Believe In People The Remarkable Connections Between Catholicism and Charles Koch’s New Book The Napa Institute is a long-time partner of Stand Together, a philanthrop
Originally posted by USA TODAY: Woke Capitalism Will Drive Faith Out of Business Woke capitalism is forcing business owners to choose ideological sides or get out of business.
Originally posted by First Things: "If you sup with the devil, you’d better bring a long spoon.” In dealing with China, it’s a piece of folk wisdom the Vatican might want to take mo
As Catholics, we are rooted in the incarnation - God became flesh to redeem a people, a people that went on to redeem an empire, and an empire that became a Church to redeem the world. The redemption