Day 24

For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. Luke 2:11

Tonight, Christmas Eve, we think about Jesus as an unborn baby. While Mary had not seen Jesus’s face, she knew Him in a very special way. While all moms know the kicks and pokes of their unborn baby, Mary also knew Jesus because she had prayed for His coming her entire life. She prayed over the psalms of David and the prophecies of Isaiah, she listened to the stories of Noah and Abraham, she knew of the rises and falls of her people, the Jews. God had been preparing them for a Savior, and this unborn Child she was to hold in her womb for just a few more hours was He! 

The life of Jesus is extraordinary and miraculous. As both fully Human and fully God, Jesus was unlike any person anyone had ever met. He was perfect in every way. He healed people from sickness, restored sight to the blind, and even brought dead people back to life! He taught important truths through stories called “parables” and traveled from place to place, sharing His message of God’s love and mercy. 

Jesus gave us the sacraments, instituted our beautiful Catholic Church, and gave us His own mother as ours to love. At the end of Jesus’s earthly life, He was nailed to a cross and died. Three days after His death, Jesus rose from the dead and, in doing so, conquered sin and death. In dying on the cross, Jesus paid the debt for our sins giving us the gift of eternal life. 

God fulfilled His promise to His people; the path for His children to once again share in His Divine Life was complete! 

At the manger, Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds gather around Jesus and are filled with joy at His physical presence. Today, the faithful still gather to be in the physical presence of Jesus, through the gift of the Eucharist. Our Lord loves us so much, He always desires to be near us!