OUR EXPERIENCES OF Christmas are as varied as the gifts under the Christmas tree. Relationships are deepened or strained as we encounter one another for dinners, parties, performances and liturgies. The messiness of humanity is often on full display in ourselves, our homes and yes, even in our local parishes.
In our haste to create the “perfect” Christmas environment, we can miss the needs of our family, friends and the strangers whom God entrusts to us. We may be noticing with sadness the absence of a loved one. Perhaps there is a spirit of anxiety in our hearts as we anticipate being with relatives who speak critically and are difficult to please.
Whether we are joyfully looking forward to Christmas gatherings or anticipating them with dread, the good news is that God has come to be with us and He dwells in our midst. He is Emmanuel, God with us. Each Christmas, we commemorate the incarnation of God, that is, the particular moment in time when God became human in every way like us. Jesus experienced the limitations, the poverty, the joys and the sorrows of our human condition. He experienced temptations but refused to sin, showing us that we can rely on God, our Heavenly Father, for all our needs. In this way, He makes it possible for us to live like Him with His grace. Jesus assumed all things so as to redeem all things (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church #2633). The story of Christmas reminds us that the messiness of our humanity has encountered the mystery of God’s love.
Although the messiness of our lives remains a reality in this world, we are assured of His presence and saving love actively at work within us. While our suffering and aptness to sin do not simply disappear, they do not have the final word. The more we surrender the messiness of our lives to God and allow ourselves to be seen and known in the intimacy that happens in prayer, the more we can receive the mystery of our redeemed humanity and proclaim with the psalmist, “I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works!” (Ps. 139:14). When we offer the messiness of humanity to the mystery of God’s infinite love, we are brought into the mission of Christ, whose purpose was to restore the dignity of humanity in communion with God.
This Christmas, let us ask God to see the messiness of our lives under the gaze of His love. God has come to dwell among us, and we want to pray for the grace to recognize Him in the ordinary and extraordinary circumstances of our daily lives. We are capable of bearing many trials and burdens, but ultimately, we do not want to be alone. He may not give us what we are asking for or take away our suffering, but we can confidently rest knowing He is laboring to love us.
Let the Lord console you with the gift of His abiding presence and the sweetest words we will hear this Christmas, “I’ll go with you.” Jesus is not offended by our messiness but will go with us into our own sorrow, confusion and family tensions and bring His light, peace and freedom. If we allow the Lord to draw near, we will be a light of Christ for others searching for meaning in the messiness of their lives. Let us reveal the mystery of God’s love by remaining united with Him. Merry Christmas!