Homily: December 25, 2023, Christmas Mass.

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 "He saved us through the bath of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he richly poured out on us through Jesus Christ our savior.”

Blessed Christmas everyone! God is with us!

This is my third Christmas here at St. Ambrose. Who among you is also celebrating your third Christmas here at this parish?

And do you know how many years of Christmas has the world celebrated till now?

Yes, two thousand and twenty-three.

Two thousand and twenty-three years ago, it was a silent night when heaven rejoiced on earth, because God entered the human world. The Creator became like His own created ones. On that night, all the angels in heaven sang glorious praises to God while only a few on earth heard the good news.

A friend told me that one of her colleagues has never heard anything about Jesus. They were both born and raised here in the United States.

For more than 2000 years, almost everywhere in the world, Christians and non-Christians celebrate Christmas yet there are still people who do not know Jesus, what have they been celebrating?

For most people it is a great season for shopping and feasting, they do not know the real reason for the celebrations.

Do you know what you are celebrating?

Today’s second reading says, “He saved us…through Jesus Christ our savior.” Yes, we are celebrating the birth of our savior, we are celebrating our salvation.

Without Christmas, we are lost.

With Christmas, we are saved.

So, we celebrate! We rejoice! We sing praises to God! We worship and honor the One who saves us.

Christmas is Christ’s Mass and so we celebrate Christmas with Holy Mass. Not at the malls, not at the restaurants, not away on a vacation, but here in church, at Mass. We celebrate with the birthday boy.

On this day of Jesus’ birth, He gives us His life, His body and His blood, His love. He gives us hope, joy and the most valuable gift which we can never achieve for ourselves on our own - eternal life with His Father in heaven.

Our God is a God of abundance, generosity and kindness. He holds back nothing from us. The best gift He gives to us is the gift of Himself, totally, completely and without reservations.

What then will you give Him for His birthday?

What does Jesus want from this world?

He simply wants to bring all of us back to His Father.

I can safely say that all of us here have said yes to Jesus and do want eternity with God. But what about those who are celebrating Christmas without knowing Jesus?

Like the poor shepherds who were the first to hear the good news of the Lord’s birth, who “went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger”, when they saw, they believed and “they made known the message that had been told them about this child.”

They did not keep the wonderful discovery to themselves, they did not keep the joy of having encountered the savior of the world a secret, they ‘made known the message’, they told others. Do we also share that joy of Jesus’ birth, the joy of having Jesus in our life with others?

Is this what Jesus wants for His birthday?

Dear brothers and sisters, we have a responsibility in this secularized world, this world so materially attractive. This Gospel joy needs to be proclaimed, to be heard. Jesus needs to be made known.

Let us be His Public Relations Manager, let us be His ambassador, let us be His messenger.

Many people seek the God of abundance, of generosity and kindness, but they do not know where to find Him. Let us be the ones to lead them to the Catholic church.

This will be the best gift to our Lord for His birth. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. May your Christmas be meaningful, purposeful, and fruitful. Amen.


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