Christmas: Celebrating Christ With Us

By Tom Dennehy

The birth of Christ is the most significant event in the history of the world.

The birth of Christ was not the ordinary birth of an ordinary man. It was the birth of the most unique person in history. The birth of Jesus Christ was the incarnation of God himself, in other words God himself became Man and became one of us. The significance of this is profound and it will take eternity for us to appreciate. The conception and birth of Jesus Christ was the promised redeemer sent to die on the cross for us and God’s faithful promise fulfilled.

About 700 years before Jesus was born the prophet Isaiah prophesied concerning the birth of Jesus, “The Lord Himself will give you a sign; behold The Virgin will conceive and bear a son and she will name him Emmanuel which means God with us. “ Isaiah 7;14.

The first to receive the good news of the birth of Jesus were the shepherds who had no standing in the community but were chosen by God to tell the world about the birth of Jesus.

Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared to them with the glory of the Lord shining around them. As they were terrified, the angel said to them, “don’t be afraid; I am here to give you good news, great joy for all the people. Today, a Saviour has been born to you in the town of David. He is The Messiah and the Lord. Let this be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger”.

Suddenly, the angel was surrounded by many more heavenly spirits, praising God and saying,” Glory to God in the highest and Peace on earth to whom God loves”

When the angels had left them and gone back to Heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “let us go as far as Bethlehem and see what the Lord has made known to us”. So they came hurriedly and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. On seeing Him they related what they had been told about the child, and all were astonished on hearing the shepherds. Luke 2.9-18

Jesus came in to our world as a little baby. He could have come as a great king but he chose to come as a humble little child needing love and affection. The hunger in the heart of God for the love of man is expressed in the profound humility of these two words, Baby Jesus.

God’s great desire for intimacy with man is clearly shown, as no one is ever afraid to come close to a baby. A baby is vulnerable. A baby reaching out for love with open arms is irresistible.

During Christmas let us reach out to Jesus and hand over to Him everything that is weighing us down, all our anxieties and all our troubles.

He tells us, “come to me all who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest, rest for your soul”.Matt.11.28.

When we attend Holy Mass we encounter the very same Jesus born in a stable in BethlehemBethlehem means house of bread. The very same baby Jesus is even humbler still as He is present in the Sacred Host in Body, Soul and Divinity and has kept his promise to be with us always until the end of time.

He came among us to show us how to love and how to forgive. In his missionary life he healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, restored sight to the blind and raised the dead. He calmed the raging storms and fed the multitudes. He spoke with authority and treated everyone with respect, especially the poor and downcast.

He chose twelve apostles and ordained them to go out to the whole world and proclaim the good news of God’s Kingdom to the ends of the earth.

We read in John 3;16, ”God so loved the world that He gave his only Son that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but may have eternal life”. This is the reason why Jesus was born in to our world on Christmas Day. By His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead He has conquered death and given us eternal life.

He is with us today, as He has sent His Holy Spirit to be with us and wants to live in our hearts. Most especially He wants us to respond to His great sacrifice for us by spending time with Him in prayer, Holy Mass and in Adoration. He wishes us to have a personal relationship with Him and He will change our lives forever.

Let us celebrate Christmas with Joy and Thanksgiving to a God who loves us beyond human understanding.