Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we all have memories of Christmas: presents we eagerly opened as children, traveling to see relatives out of state, decorating the Christmas tree, going to and maybe serving Christmas Masses. But the most important memory surely is the child lying in the manger.

Whether we see him in a small creche in our home or a larger one in our parish church, the Christ Child reminds us of the true meaning of our Christmas celebrations: the Son of God was sent by the Father to become man, being “born of the Virgin Mary” (the Apostles’ Creed).

As we sing in the carol “Silent Night,” Christ’s birth was “the dawn of redeeming grace,” for he would free us from sin by his sacrifice on the cross. But he was born for more: as Charles Wesley, who wrote “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” put it, Christ was “born to raise the sons of earth, born to give them second birth.” He rose from death to enable all men and women to inherit the fullness of eternal life through their resurrection from the dead.

Christmas, then, points to Good Friday and Easter. We rejoice when a baby is born but this baby was different. He came into the world to save us from the enemies we cannot defeat on our own: sin and death. Let’s not sentimentalize Christmas. The baby whose arms stretched out to embrace Mary and Joseph and welcome the shepherds would later be stretched out on the cross to embrace the whole world. He was born that we might die to sin; he died that we might rise to new life; he rose to restore a renewed creation to his Father.

Rejoice not so much that Christ was born, as you were. Rejoice that he was born to do what you could never do. Rejoice that you have a Savior who loves you so much that he would humble himself to be born in humility, suffer for us all and open for us the path to heaven. As you “toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow” (“It Came upon a Midnight Clear”), remember what the angels sang at his birth: “Peace on earth to those on whom his favor rests.” His favor rests on you!

Merry Christmas!

Sincerely in Christ,
+Mark E. Brennan
Bishop of Wheeling-Charleston