From Fr. Tom,
Merry Christmas everybody! May you all have a blessed and glorious day and a very holy Christmas Season. Far from the trappings of a traditional Christmas with Santa, the elves, and the other “things” that define this secular holiday we celebrate the most significant birth that will ever happen in this world. Jesus Christ, the Son of God being who and what He is has changed the face of sinfulness in our world into the tremendous possibility of forgiveness and the chance for eternal life with God. Now THAT is something to celebrate! Out of the absolute lowliness of Jesus’ birth comes the greatest of all events in human history. At first glance, the circumstances surrounding the first Christmas in Bethlehem do not suggest anything great, royal, or beautiful, on the contrary. They suggest an anonymous, unclean, rather disgusting environment for a human birth. Just compare the reality of Jesus’ birth place to the pristine, ultra-clean birthing centers of our modern day hospitals! But real Beauty, which is the reflection of God’s own self, rarely begins with surface glow and sparkle, but time reveals Divine Beauty in its fullness, hence the newborn king, Jesus Christ. To view this in a different way, imagine who would win a beauty contest between Miss America and St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta? Let’s all thank God for sending His beloved Son today on His birthday! God bless you.
