At the beginning of his papacy, Pope St. John Paul II wrote, “Through the Incarnation God gave human life the dimension that he intended man to have from his first beginning.”1 Although God had made new covenants with humanity and the people of Israel, freed them from slavery in Egypt, shared with them his law and statutes and spoke to them through the prophets, none of those actions on their own redeemed us.
Instead, those actions prepared for the redemption given in the incarnation. Every Advent, we have the opportunity to reflect upon this great mystery and prepare our hearts for the celebration of Jesus Christ at Christmas, as well as for his second coming. As we begin this new liturgical year, I wish to highlight one aspect at the core of Christmas: namely, that at Christmas, God breaks into human history.
To begin, let us recall the message of the angel to the shepherds in the Gospel of Luke: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Lk 2:10-11).
In this scene, we see the integrity of the message because of the action of the angel. The message is good news of great joy! Not for the elite or the chosen few, but for all people. To all people, a savior is born, who is Christ the Lord. This point is made even stronger because the message is given here, not to people of important familial relationship to Jesus, nor of high status, but to normal, everyday, working-class shepherds. They are people who have no part to play in God’s plan at this moment. However, God sent his angels to announce that the Savior comes for them.
This is a message that the world needs to hear now. As we look out in our own sphere of life and in the world, we see the suffering that afflicts so many; suffering from war, addiction, poverty and loneliness. Jesus does not will to be a God who is far away from the afflicted, but he is near to every human being if we open our hearts to receive the good news of the first Christmas. The message of Christmas is that Jesus is alive, and he still comes to enter your story if you open the door for him. He is a personal God who knows and loves you, who desires only your good, who wants to be your friend, brother and Savior. He cares about your suffering, your trials, and everything that afflicts you.
If we are faithful to the task of echoing the angel’s announcement, we have well-founded hope that those who hear the message will respond similarly to how the shepherds did. First, they sought confirmation of what they heard, not skeptically, but expectantly. In doing so, they encountered and entered a relationship with not only Jesus, but the Holy Family. The result is the conversion of their hearts to God, to his faithfulness to his promises, and to the growth of his kingdom: “And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them” (Lk 2:20).
In becoming man, Jesus changed the course of human history. His life, which continues after his resurrection, has a deeply personal impact on all of us. Jesus in his incarnation, life, death, resurrection and sending of the Holy Spirit has conquered sin, death and the devil. The greatest drama of human history begins with Christmas. This Christmas, let us remember how Jesus has changed our personal story and let us confidently announce his glorious redemption!
May God bless you this Advent and prepare you to receive in a deeper way “the good news of great joy” at Christmas, Christ our Savior is born! May your hearts burn with love for Jesus, whose heart burns in love for you!
1. Pope St. John Paul II, Redemptoris Hominis