The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
Whenever a child is born, there is change and hope, not only for the child and its family but for all of us. That change and hope come about because each new baby is capable of making the world a better place.
Christmas is about hope and change because it involves a newborn Child, Jesus Christ, born to Mary and Joseph in the stable at Bethlehem. This child, more than any other newborn child brings the most profound change and hope; he has changed the world and history completely and makes possible our salvation from sin and even from death. Because of this birth, we are able to reach our greatest desire and fulfill our greatest need, which is to live in God’s grace and love.
The coming of the Child in Bethlehem has not only changed our world but has also made it possible for each of us to be reborn and start a new life. We are no longer destined for the fate or dead-end paths that we have followed or slipped into up to this point. We are not doomed, no matter how many bad decisions we have made or sins we have committed. We are not doomed because Christ has entered our world and can enter my heart, if I let him.
Curiously, Christ chose to make those changes in the world and in each of us slowly, as an infant matures slowly into adulthood. The world’s and our own re-birth to new life in Christ emerges only gradually and with growing pains. We have to listen patiently and prayerfully to God’s words of encouragement, discipline, and love. And we have to put those words into action through acts of generosity and love. God uses us to create the change and fulfill the hope he promises through the birth of his Son. It is happening. Believe that; do not fear; Christ’s birth continues to change all things—around us and in us.
Thank you, Lord, for sending your Son into this world, drawing each of us more and more into his saving work and power and love.
On behalf of all the monks of Conception Abbey, we wish you a Blessed Christmas and a New Year full of hope and love.
Reflection by Abbot Benedict Neenan, OSB
Posted in Articles for Christmas, Daily Reflections