OUR SPIRITS ARE UPLIFTED BECAUSE OUR SAVIOUR HAS COME.

The readings...

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.'" [Is. 52:7-10]

"Jesus is the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being." [Heb. 1:1-6]

"And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth." [Jn. 1:1-18]

The homily...

Good morning! First of all, I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas Day. Secondly, I thank you all for coming out to join us in the celebration of the Holy Mass on this very special day of Christmas!

Today, we are celebrating the birthday of Jesus. It is a day of joy, a day when we can proclaim, "Glory to God in the highest Heaven, and on earth peace among those whom He favors!" [Lk. 1:13- 4] Surely, the joy that the Lord brings us on this special day is proof that His Kingdom has come on earth.

The Feast of Christmas is a celebration of the very special day when the invisible God chose to be born in this world in human form as the Child Jesus. Of all the ways in which God could have come to us, He chose to come as a newborn baby just like you and I were born.

To accomplish this miracle, the Heavenly Father chose the Blessed Virgin Mary as the mother of Jesus and Saint Joseph as the adoptive father. As parents, Mary and Joseph were entrusted with the care of the fragile years of baby Jesus, the Son of God, He who was to become the Lord of lords, the King of kings.

It is on a day such as this, when we remember that God came to us in flesh and blood through His incarnation, that we realize that no day is so dark that the Light of Christ cannot brighten it. As we enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas, our spirits are uplifted. This is the time of the year when we are drawn closer to God and to others, when we are blessed with a taste of the eternal Heavenly joy and peace that awaits all of us for having walked in our faith.

Christmas Day is unique in a way that it unites the physical world to the spiritual world. Not only has the invisible God become visible to mankind, but this very special day represents the beginning of the story of salvation. Without the birth of Christ on that day 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem, our salvation would not have been guaranteed because our race was not part of God's chosen people. The birth of Christ was a turning point in history, where all people throughout the world had the door opened to them to become the children of God through faith and the Sacrament of Baptism.

During life, we search for something to satisfy the longing of our souls. To Christians, that search ends here where we have successfully found Jesus. That is because Jesus is God's precious gift to us.

Days before Christmas Day, we saw the grace of God working in us, His Divine grace leading us to make the Birthday of Christ a very special day in our lives.

Just prior to Christmas, the grace of God awakened the spirit of those who were in harmony with His love. The Spirit of God directed the Christian to shine in His goodness by either giving food to the needy, clothing to the poor, or even by buying gifts for the children of an unemployed family. Suddenly, the spirits of the Christians were awakened to reflect God's love and to become God's instruments of joy and peace in the hearts of all.

To some, with the coming of Christmas, this meant an early examination of conscience. They have reconciled with members of their family by forgiving or were themselves forgiven so the message of peace that Jesus brought into the world could be lived in their lives. This power of the Spirit of God surpasses all human capability of reconciling those who are divided. Where counsellors have sometimes failed for months, Jesus touched the hearts of those who were divided and suddenly reunited them all in love for this very special day.

The grace of God brings children, parents and grandparents closer together so the family can share its joys. It impels all to exchange gifts as a sign of Christian love towards one another. With twinkles in their eyes, the little children cheerfully show to all the grown-ups who are around them the presents that they have received. The words, "Thank you Mom", "Thank you Dad", "Thank you Grandma and Grandpa" and "I love you!" fly right and left, touching the hearts of all. Then, all gather around the table to give thanks to the Lord, proceeding with a family meal that might have taken hours or days to prepare.

When leaving here today, we shall all go to continue in the celebration of Christmas Day. Christmas music will play. Christmas lights will shine. Gifts will be exchanged. Hugs will be received and given in joy and peace. All will eat until they cannot eat anymore. And the list continues. But there is one thing we must remember. It is little Jesus who made all of this possible by the grace of God the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit. And, we should thank the Lord above all for having made this Christmas Day a very special Day for all of us.

Total: 853 words

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