The Nativity of Jesus Christ our Saviour and King

By Karen Riobo

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
“Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

~Luke 2:10-14

The Christmas season is meant to be merry because it reminds us that God is faithful and keeps His promises. The above passage is an excerpt from the Gospel of Luke Chapter 2, where we are given the reason for our Hope and Joy through the beautiful story of the birth of Jesus Christ, a story that took place over 2,000 years ago. With the birth of Jesus, Christianity also started. 

God prepared the way … 

The Old Testament is the record of God preparing the world for his Son's coming to be our Savior. God worked over many centuries to make things ready for Christ to come to Earth. He gave many promises through the prophets that the Savior would come. The Jews had long-awaited for the King of Kings, the Messiah; it was God's promise to save them, to bring them back to the new Jerusalem. The prophet Micah explicitly prophesied that the Savior would be born in the town of Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2)

But why did we need a Savior? Why did God send His Son? 

After sin came into the world through Adam and Eve, the world became increasingly sinful over many generations. God brought judgment and destroyed His own people with a flood. Noah and his family were chosen by God to start a new era, but many years later, the descendants of Noah turned away from God, and the pattern repeated. But God, faithful to His covenant and out of pure love and mercy on us, gave us His only Son to give us life again, to redeem us from the effects of evil, from eternal condemnation and death. ( Romans 6:23)

Christmas time reminds us that we have been saved! 

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14). 

Rightly so, we celebrate every moment of Jesus' life on Earth. Especially His birth. His birth means that God is with us! His birth is a sign of God's promise of victory over sin, over slavery, over pain, over any suffering we may be experiencing, and that he will come again. 

Our Catholic faith teaches us that we have to prepare our hearts through the season of Advent for the birth of Jesus. Advent directs our hearts and minds to Christ's second coming at the end of time and Christmas. 

As disciples of Jesus Christ, it is our call to prepare the way and announce the second coming of our Savior like the prophets did, starting with our own lives; our lives must show the world that we have been saved and are fully alive. 

Have a Blessed Christmas!