by Fr. Tommy Lane
One of the most famous and most reproduced images of all time is Michelangelo’s fresco of the creation of Adam in which God is stretching out his hand and pointing his finger down to Adam who is also stretching out his hand up to God. God’s finger and Adam’s finger are almost touching. What we celebrate today, Jesus’ birth, is God reaching down in the most dramatic way possible—God becoming one of us in Jesus. God reached down from heaven many times previously, for example in the preaching of the prophets, but God becoming one of us in Jesus is the most dramatic way that God knocked on our doors. Imagine, God becoming one of us. Who would ever have expected that? It is the most extraordinary thing in the world—God becoming one of us. It shows that God is, we might say, crazy about us. God showed it again when Jesus died for our salvation on Calvary, giving his body and blood for us in exchange for our sins. God is indeed crazy about us.
Jesus’ birth is God knocking on our doors telling who we are—we are all God’s children, deeply precious to God, deeply loved by God, highly valued by God. Don’t allow yourself to be defined by the negativity of others or your own negativity. Define yourself by how God sees you—his beloved son or daughter. Look beyond pain, suffering, dashed hopes, and disappointments to how God sees you—his beloved son or daughter. What matters is what God thinks of you. What matters is how God values you. Other people or events beyond our control may have caused suffering or dashed our hopes, but that is not the last word. In any darkness, remember the light of God. What matters is that you are deeply precious to God, deeply loved by God, highly valued by God.
For one day, the world is different because of Jesus. For one day, people try to be kinder to each other. People give gifts to each other. For one day, we get a little foretaste of heaven in the love and kindness of people to each other. For one day, Jesus’ love seeps through the world. No wonder that a popular song says, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year.”
People give gifts at this time of year. Above all we should give a gift to Jesus. Can you give a gift to Jesus this Christmas. One gift is to be kind to others and be kind to your family as you spend time together during these next days. If you are home from elsewhere to be with family this Christmas, let your family have good memories, not painful memories, of your time with them. Don’t take life’s hurts out on them. Make sure that your time with your family is a pleasant experience for them and then it will be a pleasant experience for you also with pleasant memories for you.
Another gift to give to Jesus is our love for him. Spend time with Jesus in prayer every day. Find a way to pray that suits you. Jesus’ mother Mary also loves you. Spend time with her in prayer every day and love her back.
Jesus’ birth is God knocking on our doors telling who we are—we are all God’s children, deeply precious to God, deeply loved by God, highly valued by God. Don’t allow yourself to be defined by the negativity of others or your own negativity. Define yourself by how God sees you—his beloved son or daughter. Look beyond pain, suffering, dashed hopes, and disappointments to how God sees you—his beloved son or daughter.
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2024
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for Christmas
Christmas: God’s love for you is out of this world 2015
Related Homilies: Now I know why you had to do it: a Christmas Parable
mp3 meditation: Baby Jesus surrounded by the animals (quality reduced)
Day Mass: on the Gospel see Second Sunday after Christmas below
stories for Christmas Light of Jesus
Inexplicable light in form of embryo in Guadalupe