Christmas is such an important feast because it celebrates the moment God entered our world in the flesh. God walked and worked among us to save us from our sins and to reveal Himself to us so that we can truly know Him. Because of the Incarnation, we can meet “in person” the infinite God—even in our humanness. And Jesus instituted His Church so that we can encounter Him today, two millennia after He walked the earth.
At every Mass, we reenter the Incarnation and Jesus’ saving sacrifice. If we can permit Christ to do His miraculous and saving work in our own lives, even when it involves sacrifice and struggle, we will have abundant reason to rejoice.
In the Gospel, Jesus asks the crowds why they were so attracted to John the Baptist. Was it because of his outward appearance or an easy message? No, they followed John because he was a prophet—he spoke truth. Even in their sinfulness, those people could recognize how badly they needed John’s message of the coming Messiah, though it called them to repent and change their ways.
We rejoice today because the Gospel, while challenging, is both true and good. We celebrate that the Lord is coming, and amidst this season of waiting, we remember that Jesus already meets us where we are in His Sacraments so that we can personally know Him. Join me in prayers of praise and thanksgiving for this good news.
Please be assured of my prayers for you before Our Lord, present in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
+ Bishop Schlert
