The Nativity of the Lord Lk 2,15.20

To look the Truth in the face (Jn 1:1-18)
At the manger, there is no place or time to wear a mask, to smile like a clown, to say a word later… ¬

When St. Augustine pondered the mystery of the birth of the Lord Jesus, he asked himself the question: “Cur Deus homo?” – “Why did God become man?” And the answer? It is very profound. “Deus factum est homo, ut homo fieret Deus.” “God became man that man might become God.” John Paul II wrote in the encyclical Redemptor hominis – Redeemer of Man: “The Redeemer of the world is the one who has penetrated the mystery of the man in a unique and unrepeatable way and has entered into his heart.” (Art. 8)
Today, we too stand before the manger and gaze into the face of the Truth, Jesus Christ, who “denied himself, took the nature of a servant, became like men; and according to outward appearance was counted as a man.” (Phil. 2:7). At the manger of the Child Jesus, we realize that there is no time or place to deceive ourselves or to deceive others behind some mask, clown smile, word, or other gesture. Today at the manger is a time to look the Truth, the Christ, in the face.

John the Apostle tells us about the Child Jesus: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn l,14).

The melodies, which are incredibly alive and relevant today, were created by the profoundly faithful in their hearts and minds.
It would be an understatement to devote today only to singing carols, even though their melody and especially their words speak of the mystery of God’s love. It is not enough to hear the joy proclaimed by the angels on Holy Night and to experience it emotionally. It is not a poetic fantasy or a mythological fable, but an event in a specific historical period during the census of the people, the population of the Roman Empire, which Emperor Augustus himself ordered. It is about the Child born in the town of Bethlehem, as foretold long before by the prophet Micah. This is the Person for whom generations had waited, and the prophets had foretold.

This helpless Child, placed out of a need in a manger in a stable, is the Savior, Christ the Lord (cf. Lk 2:11). His birth is the glad tidings that pay the people.
At the turn of the millennium, we realize that He was born for us. He has also brought us reconciliation, peace, and a message of love. The Child’s birth opens up new perspectives for humanity and each individual. The Evangelist St. John points to the roots of our joy, to the fact that the eternal Word, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, took on the nature of man, that God became man without ceasing to be God. No religion has ever dared to approach God to man in this way. To lower the all-surpassing majesty of God to the level of a man, even a weak Child. Here is the heart of the mysterious life of God, the nature of Christianity. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believed in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (Jn 3:16). God became man. This is the most profound meaning of Christmas. Luke describes Christ’s birth as a historical fact with far-reaching implications that apply to us. The prologue of today’s Gospel presents to us the incarnate Word, the Son of God, as a permanent state, as a mode of existence that is even now found in Christ. He is the God-man until the end of time.

Today we realize that the foretold Immanuel, God with us, is the Child Jesus. The Feast of the Nativity of the Lord is when we know that the Child Jesus wants to be our friend and brother. This produces joy in our souls. That is why the Nativity feast is also the most beautiful, even though we rightly recognize the feast of the Resurrection as the greatest. Today, however, we are also aware of other truths. “He was in the world, and the world knew Him not. He came into his own, and his own did not receive him” (Jn. 1:10-11). We can all say with the French convert André Frossardorn, “God exists; I have met him!” God, who knows everything about man, came into the world to teach us how to live perfectly human lives. He came to bring dignity to each one of us. God wants the good of man. God wants eternal happiness for every human being. The sin of the first man closed heaven. The God-man Jesus came to open heaven for us. All he wants from us is for us to accept him. “He has given us the power to become children of God.” (Jn. 1:12). In the Old Testament, God sent prophets, and He does not cease to send them to us today, especially through and by the Church. Thus the words are fulfilled upon us: “Out of his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.” (Jn 1:16). And this should not only reach us today but lead us to a change of life.

We know that our lives are often complex. It is wrong to put rose-colored glasses on our eyes, to expect only pleasant events, to meet only smiling people, but to be able to realize the words as well: “Whoever wants to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Lk 9:23). The cross and the manger of Christ cannot be separated. And that is why today it is fitting that we also recognize that “the true light, which enlightens every man, has come into the world.” (Jn 1:9). This light shines even when darkness wants to cover it, destroy pain, overwhelm sin, and remove death. We know that our lives are often complex. It is wrong to put on rose-colored glasses, to expect only pleasant events, to meet only smiling people, but to be able to realize the words as well: “Whoever wants to follow me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Lk 9:23). The cross and the manger of Christ cannot be separated. And that is why today it is fitting that we also recognize that “the true light, which enlightens every man, has come into the world.” (Jn 1:9). This light shines even when darkness wants to cover it, destroy pain, overwhelm sin, and remove death.

Today is the time of grace when our hearts are humanly soft, when we are more filled with love, so that at the same time, we may enter more deeply into the peace of Christ. People tend to be ashamed of the evil they have done. They cannot often forgive offending one another. It is different from God. We should want to remove the shame and change our previous life. Today, the Child Jesus expects forgiveness from the heart if someone has something against us. And we also forgive for the wrong done. We realize that when we use the feast of the Nativity of the Lord in this way, it will not just be a matter of the joy of a few days or hours, but perhaps of eternal happiness.

When St. Augustine made the powerful statement, “God became man that man might become God,” it was a call for us to cherish our friendship with Jesus. When we have overcome many hardships, a journey to spend a few hours with our dear ones, let us make all the more effort to live together for all eternity.
In that spirit, I want to wish all of you on this feast that we may fulfill the expectation of God, the Child, and draw so much grace and strength from these days that we may partake of and share in the heavenly banquet in His Kingdom.