The Glory of Christmas 

“And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory.”

Today, as we hear in my favorite Christmas song, O Holy Night, “the weary world rejoices.” Today, God gave us a Savior. We did not deserve this gift. We sinned. We betrayed God. We knew His laws, but we did what we wanted anyway and pushed Him away. But, in His immense love, He looked at this world of human beings He created in His image and likeness and His heart was filled with love. And in this immense love, He sent His Son.
The night that Christ was born truly changed the world. All of God’s promises in the Old Testament were fulfilled, and in His death we can live. Eternity with God can be ours. Our choices determine whether or not we accept His offer. But He came today as a tiny baby to give us that chance, and in coming “the soul felt its worth.”
What are we worth? We are worth mocking and beatings. We are worth the nails. We are worth an agonizing death. Why? Because we matter to God, and we are His.
Today, as we celebrate the greatest gift ever given to us, let us think about the gifts we can give to Baby Jesus. Take time to reflect and to find a way to improve some aspect of your life that will please Christ and help you grow closer to Him. Maybe you have held a grudge too long. Maybe you often let your anger get the best of you. Maybe you struggle with being kind to someone at the office or in your extended family. Maybe you have held on to hurt and bitterness so long that it’s eating you up inside. Maybe you struggle with an addiction. Or maybe you have felt yourself drift away from God. We all have something that has created a barrier between us and Our Lord. Our gift to Baby Jesus could be to begin to tear that barrier down.
Remember, our lives are not our own. They belong to Christ. This Christmas, let us not forget that we are His. Let us find joy in this fact and give Him the greatest gift we possibly can—ourselves.
And this Christmas, and always, let us praise and thank Him for taking on our sins and for dying so that we could have eternal life.
Indeed, the weary world rejoices when it gazes upon Baby Jesus, on Christmas day and every day. Merry Christmas!
By Susan Ciancio