The Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord

Fr Dominic’s Christmas Homily

Why did Jesus really come into the world? We hear so often that it was to save us from our sins – which is true of course but there is so much more!

Because surely all things are possible for God? Why bother to go to all the effort of being born in a stable in a manger because there was no room for him in the inn. Then living a human life with all its limitations that ends in such a supposedly tragic way with so much suffering? After all he could have just chosen to forgive us from in heaven?

Remember the parable of the prodigal son where a man uses up his Fathers inheritance and eventually returns home in a sorry state. His sin has caused a separation from the Father.

Well as you know prodigal means excessively generous. So it should be called the parable of the prodigal Father. Because what happens next? Does the Father say to the son “I told you so!” And say that he can live back at home again as long as he pulls his weight and stops messing around? - That would technically be saving him.

But no - what happens is that the Father goes out of his way to greet him. When he arrives he hugs him, puts a ring on his finger, a robe on him and kills the fatted calf. There is a big celebration. Not only is he being saved but he is being drawn into a love beyond all measure.

So Jesus came into the world not just to save us but also to show the Fathers great love for us. And through this example of love we are shown how to love God back. Ultimately so that we can be drawn up into the full life and love of the trinity.

So that covers the why. Now let’s looks at the how! Obviously God had many options of how he could come into the world. He could have appeared as a: Supreme king, or a clever politician, or a mighty war hero.

But he chose to become the most helpless person possible – a tiny baby.

Our God who created the universe with all its complexity, science and beauty and balance chose to be among us in this way; small and vulnerable and completely dependent on us to care for him.

Apparently he experienced everything that we as humans can experience in this world. You might say well that’s all very well but when did we ever see Jesus confused? Or envious of those around him? Or deeply regretting how he had spoken to someone? Was there ever a time that Jesus completely misunderstood a situation? Or made a huge blunder (Wasted a whole days evangelizing because he got totally the wrong address) After all you’re only human if you make mistakes?

But no – we must remember that Jesus is divine in his nature. So he is more human than us because he didn’t experience sinfulness. These are actually all parts of our fallen nature that we have become so accustomed to that we think they are intrinsically part of us.

So he takes on our humanity so that we can receive his divine life. God wants to give us life and to live it to the full. To dream big. He wants our expectation to be as extravagant as his generosity towards us. 

God is the first cause of everything. The universe we see around us is filled with purpose, divine order and harmony through the person of Jesus Christ. All things came to be through him. All disciplines and sciences depend on him. He unlocks the meaning of everything.

And our faith is not a game of trying to persuade a distant and reluctant God to listen to us like some kind of disgruntled dictator– but it’s a case of opening our minds and hearts wide enough in order to receive what God wants to give us. It’s a personal relationship. The true glory of God is to see a human person living life to the full.

The bible in its essence is really a story all about how God searches for us rather than us searching for God. God doesn’t really need to be found but rather we need to let him find us. And this is why our lives have an unlimited value. And why we should really accept and love ourselves for who we are and be grateful to God for all he has given us. That’s the key to a peaceful heart.

Nobody can doubt that a person called Jesus was born and really walked on this planet about 2000 years ago. But do we truly believe he is the son of the living God? And if so do we open our hearts to him? May we allow our hearts to be found by him this Christmas.