St. Alphonsus Liguori tells a story of St. Francis of Assisi. The indifference he found in people caused his heart to ache. People would see him as Christmas drew near, and they would notice him crying. St. Francis was quick to defend himself.
Why should I not weep when I see that love is not loved! I see a God who became human for the love of humanity and humanity that is ungrateful to this God (St. Francis of Assisi).
Indifference is one of the greatest enemies of our faith. It leads to cold hearts and miserable souls. Celebrating Christmas helps us overcome our indifference and brings us to gratitude and awe before God. As we celebrate Christmas, let’s remember in a special way those who suffer this Christmas, through illness or loneliness. Jesus comes especially for them. God sees a poor, abandoned humanity, and decides to come be with us.
“Emmanuel” is a title of Jesus that means “God with us.” God’s humility shines through by Jesus coming into the world as a baby. How can we better appreciate his gift to us at Christmas? I want to tell you about a humble farmer who discovered the humility of God. This humility of God was made most evident in the humility of a baby. That baby comes to us under the humble appearance of bread. Christmas is a celebration of humility.
Lonely at Christmas
To help, I want to tell a story that comes from Idaho. A farmer’s family was getting ready to go to Mass on Christmas Eve. The farmer decided to stay home. His wife tried to get him to go, but to no avail. He wanted to stay home and that was that.
He could tell that stormy weather was rolling in. For some reason, he wanted to spend some time on Christmas Eve by himself. As he wandered the lonely halls of his house, he noticed a flock of geese huddling outside. Compassion overtook him and he went outside, hoping to convince the geese to enter the barn and find shelter from the cold, the wind, and the snow. He opened the humongous barn door and attempted to herd the geese inside. Then, the farmer went first on the right side, but the geese moved to the left, rather than into the barn. When he tried again from the left, the geese moved to the right, still avoiding the shelter of the barn.
“They won’t listen to me,” the farmer complained. “If I could only communicate with them, I could save them from this blasted storm. If I could become, even for a moment, a goose, I could explain to them what is best for them.” Then, it hit him. Today is Christmas Eve, and this is why God became man. Jesus wanted to show us the way to Heaven. I know the hellish landscape we often live as men and women. Yet, all too often, we find no way inside out of the cold. Jesus came to show us a better way, and in the process even gave his life to save us from our sins.
Grasping the Mystery of the Incarnation
Suddenly, the mystery of the Incarnation – God taking on human flesh – didn’t seem so cold, distant, and theological to that Idahoan farmer. It was real. Of course, God cares about us much more than we could ever care about a flock of geese stuck in a storm. It is a greater act of humility for God to become man than for a man to become a goose.
One of the early Church Fathers, St. Athanasius, wrote in On the Incarnation that “God became man so that man might become God.” (54:3) Orthodox Christians refer to this process as theosis – becoming gods. This is no threat to monotheism. We become like God through our participation in the divine life. This is one of the fruits of our Baptism, when we become adopted sons and daughters of God.
Becoming a Baby to Demonstrate Humility
Most of us begin our faith journey as infants, and today we celebrate Jesus who came into the world as a baby. By becoming a baby, Jesus demonstrates supreme humility. Humility softens human hearts, and I believe Jesus becomes a baby because he wants to soften our hearts. It is so easy for us to get frustrated and even upset with God. But tonight, on Christmas, he comes to us as a baby. He desires to melt our hearts and inspire in us the tender feelings that he has for us.
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us.” (Mt. 1:23)
My favorite title for Jesus is “Emmanuel,” as we hear in today’s Gospel. God is with us. This is truly the core of the Christmas message. Throughout the centuries, before Jesus’ birth, humanity had been without a savior. Tonight, we celebrate the moment when our Savior was born. He opened the gates of Heaven for us through his death and resurrection, and that story all begins tonight with his birth. “Emmanuel” – God with us – points to another mystery that we celebrate tonight. In the Eucharist, Jesus becomes truly present on the altar. Each time that we come together to celebrate the Eucharist, let us remember the humility of a God who chooses to leave the far-off heavens to be with us, in the humble form of a child. The humble appearance of bread disguises the humble presence of Christ.
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