One of the reasons I love Christmas is because of its invitation to meditate on the humanity of Jesus, on the sublime mystery of the Incarnation. In today’s gospel, the angel of the Lord appears to Joseph and tells him that the child Mary expects “will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Jesus takes on our humanity to reconcile us to the Father. He is true God and true man. As such, He can offer a perfect and spotless sacrifice to the Father on behalf of humanity.
We know that this happens at the Cross. Still, the work of our redemption already begins at the Incarnation when Jesus empties Himself and takes the form of a babe in Mary’s womb. During this Christmas season, the Church invites us to contemplate this great mystery. Observe the baby in that manger scene. God Himself has stripped away His majesty. He has divested himself of all his glory, power, and wisdom. The God of the universe, the only genuinely selfsufficient and non-contingent being, has taken the form of a helpless babe and given Himself over to the care of others, to the infirmities of our human condition. In a day and age where freedom and autonomy are priced above all else, God’s willingness to become a dependent infant should stand out all the more. Imagine the cries of this helpless babe and the discomforts to which he was born in that manger. Realize that this child that is born to us is God himself and that the reason He has, in His absolute freedom, given Himself over to such conditions, is the love of you and me. Our redemption is won at Calvary. It is by His Cross that we are saved. But, it is already at the manger in Bethlehem that Jesus, the Son of God, begins to abase Himself before the Father for our redemption.
It is such contemplation that this Advent and Christmas season invites us to. Pondering the mystery of the Incarnation nourishes our understanding and recognition of God’s love for us, a love that seen in the light of the Christmas event cannot but leave us in awe of its grandeur. This is the invitation of this Christmas season and my invitation to you for the next couple of days as we await that holy Christmas day. May our prayers and meditation on this sublime mystery prepare our hearts so that Jesus may find in them a manger to be born in and to dwell unceasingly.
Santiago Torres – St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta
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