From all of us here ...

... Merry Christmas! May it be a time for all of us to come closer to Jesus, who came so close to us.

Here at St. Ambrose we had two Masses on Christmas Eve and one this morning.

I preached at the "midnight" (10 PM) Mass and the one today. Here's roughly what I said:

-----

There's a lot you can say on Christmas Eve / Christmas. I could talk about “the reason for the season” or “the true meaning of Christmas” - but it's perfectly natural to be thinking about presents.

At home when I was a kid, my brother and sister and I would wait – impatiently - at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning while my parents went down and set up the video camera so they could capture every moment on tape. Then we would run down into the living room – and take turns opening presents.

The waiting is what drives you crazy. We start getting ready for Christmas – decorating the tree, baking cookies, and everything else, but we don't get to open a single present until the day finally comes.

A present is an exciting thing. Before you unwrap it, it could be anything. It holds endless possibilities. Beneath that wrapping paper lies a mystery.

Christmas is the same.

Beneath all the lights, all the parties and all the presents, there is a great mystery – maybe the greatest mystery there is. God becomes Man. The Father sent his Son. This is what Christmas truly means and this is the gift we are all waiting for.

Before time began, before the world existed, God was already love in Himself. The Father gives Himself to the Son and the Son returns this gift to the Father. In the union of the Holy Spirit, the three persons of the Trinity are one in a relationship of love.

It was this love that was behind God's creation of the world – and the creation of humanity. Out of this same love, God didn't give up on us when we had fallen into sin. He continued loving us when chose the people of Israel to start a plan of salvation, building them into a nation and leading them out of slavery. God gave Israel the Law – for the first time, humanity made a covenant with God to worship Him alone. He gave them a land to live in and promised to be with them as long as they remained faithful.

But we tend to have a problem with that. No how hard we try, we can never be completely devoted to God on our own. Even with his guidance, the people and leaders of Israel turned away from God, worshiping idols and serving themselves.

Something more had to be done. Something God had planned from the beginning but only revealed gradually. Through the prophets He began to point to his hidden design. To show us the way, God had to come among us. And not as a conquering king who would simply destroy his enemies, but as a child.

Prophets like Isaiah hinted at what was to come: “... a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful ...”

This king, the Son of God, who sits at the right hand of the Father, came to us as a baby. Think about that. After the great, amazing deeds of creation, parting the Red Sea, showing Himself in fire and thunder – God's greatest appearance is as a child.

This is what the Church calls the Incarnation and it's the present of Christmas. The great mystery we celebrate tonight / today is a hidden one. It's wrapped up in the paper of our own humanity and hidden in a manger.

Who could have seen this coming? Even though the people of Israel were waiting for the promised savior, he still came as a surprise. To quote Pope Benedict in a radio message broadcasted yesterday:

“They were waiting for the Messiah that God had promised to send and they pictured him as a great leader who would rescue them from foreign domination and restore their freedom.

God is always faithful to his promises, but he often surprises us in the way he fulfils them.

The child that was born in Bethlehem did indeed bring liberation, but not only for the people of that time and place - he was to be the Saviour of all people throughout the world and throughout history.”

The Incarnation is God's gift to the world – to all people. It's a sign that He has not and will never give up on us. He sent his only Son into the world of sin and suffering and death to save us from all of it. As Archbishop Fulton Sheen wrote, “Every other person who came into this world came into it to live. [Christ] came into it to die.”

Christ's mission on earth ended with the Cross, his death and his Resurrection – but it began with a baby.

This gift that was given two-thousand years ago is given to us tonight / today. The present we've been waiting for all our lives is here, on this Christmas. How are we to receive such a gift?

First, we look to the example of Mary – the first to receive Christ. Like her we say, “yes” to God's will. He asks us to live our lives for Him – to give our lives to Him. When she was asked that question, Mary responded by giving everything she had, her entire life.

What do we give? Do we give our time to God? Do we put our possessions, our abilities and our desires at his disposal? Mary said yes and allowed our salvation to be born into the world. What could happen if we say yes?

We can also look to the shepherds who were there at the first Christmas. They heard about God's gift to humanity and they went running – running to adore, to rejoice in the great work God was doing on Earth.

Let's be like them this Christmas. Let's take this special time of year to thank God for his gifts to us – especially the gift of the Incarnation. Just by being here at this Mass, you're already saying to “thank you” to God.

If you haven't been to church for a while, or if this is the only time of year that you come, I personally invite you back. Let God into your life in a new way this year. Join with the Church in the sacraments – get to confession, come back to Mass every week. Jesus is here, just as surely as in Bethlehem so long ago. He wants to come close to you – to let you know His love.

Christmas is a time to celebrate – to rejoice. We can do this by giving gifts to each other, singing songs, watching Christmas specials on TV – but let's not forget the first Christmas gift.

God calls us all this Christmas. He calls us to receive the gift of Himself.

I think the third verse of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” says it beautifully:

How silently, how silently

The wondrous gift is given!

So God imparts to human hearts

The blessings of His heaven.

No ear may his His coming,

But in this world of sin,

Where meek souls will receive him still,

The dear Christ enters in.