Diocese of Toledo, Ohio

Browsing From the Pastor

December 25th/26th Bulletin Article

Dear Friends,

            Merry Christmas!! Glory to God in the highest!

            There are some things we often hear regarding Christmas, with “Jesus is the reason for the season” being possibly the most common. We can also say that you can’t celebrate Christmas without Christ; you also can’t celebrate Christmas without Mass (Christ’s Mass is what this day was called in English speaking realms). I also probably say this often, but it must be repeated: Christmas has just begun! Don’t take down your decorations, don’t stop singing or listening to Christmas music (Christmas carols, not the lousy and modern “Christmas music”)! In the Church, we have just begun to celebrate the Christmas season.

            The imagery surrounding the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ is rich and plentiful. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is born of the Virgin Mary, the wife of Joseph. With no room anywhere in Bethlehem, the city of David, the Christ Child is born in a manger, a trough in a stable. Angels announce to shepherds the glad tidings that a Savior has been born, and they adore the Son of God. A star leads and guides the Magi to pay homage to the newborn King, presenting gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These are things we all know, so let’s draw some wisdom and knowledge from this incredible event.

            The Son of God is born as a human child: divinity and humanity were traditionally seen as opposed to each other, and it was incongruous for divinity and humanity to merge together. In the person of Jesus Christ, there is the perfect marriage and union of divinity and humanity.

            The Son of God is born of the Virgin Mary, the wife of Joseph. Jesus, the Son of God, is born to a married couple, born into a family. God works in and through the family.

            The Son of God is born in Bethlehem, the city of David. God promised in a covenant with David that a son of David would build God’s temple, be the Son of God, and rule over Israel forever. Jesus is the new temple, the Son of God, and the king who reigns over Israel and over Heaven and earth. Jesus is the Savior, the King, born in Bethlehem, who comes to rescue His people from their enemies.

            The Son of God is born in a manger, a trough from which animals ate. He will later give us His Body and Blood for food. Bethlehem also means “House of Bread.” Jesus is the Bread of Life.

            The Son of God was announced by a host of angels; in His rescue mission, the Son of God’s army is filled with angels.

            The Son of God was visited by shepherds, representing the poor and outcasts. Christ welcomes and is for the poor, the lonely, the outcast. It is said the shepherds there were tending the lambs to be sacrificed for the Passover sacrifice; this newborn Son of God will become the sacrificial Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.

            The Son of God was visited by the Magi, seekers of wisdom and truth, men using knowledge to find the newborn King. There gifts are symbolic: gold for a king, frankincense for God, myrrh for His death.

            In all of these images, the Nativity of Christ changed the lives of those involved. The birth of any child always changes lives, and especially in the case of Jesus Christ, His birth should and must change our lives. His birth should bring about a moral, intellectual, and total conversion in each of us.

            On a different note, I have repeated that we are saints under construction. Our destiny is to be a saint, and right now, we are unfinished products, still under construction. For 2022, I recommend you going to saintsnamegenerator.com. It will assign you a saint at random, giving you a patron saint for the new year—a saint to ask for intercession, a saint to look to as an example, a saint to befriend.

            We are saints under construction, adoring our newborn King and giving our lives to Him. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

In Christ,

Fr. Matt

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