At this most blessed time of the year, Jesus shows us the true way of humility, coming into the world as a mere babe in a simple manger.
What a tremendous metaphor for how God can fill our emptiness and weakness with his grace and strength and send us out, led by the Holy Spirit, to proclaim the Lord and his Gospel. We are to walk humbly with him, the Good Shepherd, always at our side and allow God to work through our weakness and sinfulness to accomplish the work of evangelization.
Especially in these days, the world desperately needs to hear — and to see in action — the truth of the gospel. Our children and our young people need to learn about the truth so that they, too, will proclaim it in their lives to the next generations. Many of our young people are already learning to do community service during high school and college, preparing them for a lifetime of service to the poor and the neglected — visiting the elderly who are homebound or in nursing homes, helping in a food pantry, helping immigrants adapt to a new life, defending everyone’s human and civil rights, showing compassion and mercy to those who are suffering, oppressed, forgotten, or bullied. And we need to do this year-round, not just during the holidays!
God’s love has been poured into the hearts of each of us, so share that love with everyone whom we encounter.
