Christmas Eve Wonder: How a Baby Changes Everything

Welcome to the final episode of our Advent Daily series! On this holy night, we reflect on the beauty and hope of Christmas Eve. Through the lens of saints like St. Alphonsus and St. Thomas of Villanova, we explore the profound humility of God becoming a child to invite us closer to Him without fear.

Transcript

Welcome back to Advent daily it's good to see you here we find ourselves on Christmas Eve which is the last video of our series by the way but an important night tonight we find ourselves in an evening pregnant with hope St Alphonsus writes who is afraid to approach a child ask St Thomas of Villanova children do not Inspire Terror or adversion but attachment and love says St Peter cus for those of you who've been following our videos for a while you know that Janelle and I have seven children and the eighth child's on the way any day now or perhaps any hour we'll we'll see um but I want to rewind back to when our first child was born and she was little just over 5 pounds so a little baby and I remember the first time that we went out in public with her other than going to mass uh Janelle and I went to a mall to have coffee and at the coffee shop our table was seated right on the edge of where all the the mall traffic was going back and forth people walking and so our baby carriage was right beside our table where all the traffic was going back and forth and um I was surprised at how many people stopped to look into the carriage and then they would see this little baby and they would stop and they would look at her and then they would engage engaged with Janelle and I but I'd never experienced something like this before just random people stopping looking in and then talking to us it was amazing how this little baby our little daughter attracted people did you know that nobody looked into that that baby carriage and thought wow you know and walked away in disgust everyone was amazed everyone looked at with awe or a curiosity nobody was offended no no body was put off see this is what a child typical typically does they they invoke a wonder they invoke an awe they they attract they cause attachment and so this night is pregnant with hope because when Jesus Christ is born on Christmas day he comes to us as a child what is a child God Almighty as a child giving us a wide open door to approach him he comes to us in such an unthreatening way perhaps he comes to this to give us the invitation just come as you are come to me don't worry do not be afraid here am I just a a little baby to cause attachment to him who is our savior St alonsus writes he is born as an infant says St Bonaventure that neither has Justice nor his power might intimidate you in order to relieve us from every feeling of distrust which the idea of his power and of his Justice might might cause in us he comes before us as a little babe full of sweetness and mercy and so often aren't we afraid of God because of his Justice and his wrath but now he comes to us as a baby I want you to think back to how man first responded to God when he fell out of relationship with him in Genesis Adam and Eve take of the fruit of the tree they fall out of relationship with God they they cover up with fig leaves and then they hear God coming in the sound of the breeze in other words God is coming for them and how do they respond Adam God calls out to him to them where are you and why is he calling out to them is it because they have successfully hid on God no if God calls out or he ever asks a question it's it's never for his own benefit it's always for the benefit of the people or the person he's speaking to so he calls out to them where are you for their benefit so that they would admit what they have done maybe repent and turn back to God and Adam responds how I heard you and I was afraid so I hid this was the first response of man when they fell out of relationship with God I was afraid so I hid so God and His mercy and he and his kindness comes to us in such an unassuming way as a baby to get rid of all fear so that we are free to go to him St alonsus tells of a story uh in his sermons today of this King who's on a ship and the ship was caught in a big sea uh storm and it's being rocked back and forth and it's going down and the king is afraid and in his despair he looks around and he sees a child crying on the deck the King goes over and he picks up this child lifting the child into the air and says this oh Lord though I myself am unworthy to be heard give ear at least to the cries of this innocent child and save us in that moment St Alphonsus says the storm ceased there was peace in other words there was a great calm it reminds me of the scripture where Jesus spoke to the storm be still and there was a great calm did you know that there's a difference between knowing about the story and experiencing the Peace of Jesus Christ in your life this Christmas Chas Jesus desires us to experience his peace he wants to come to our storms and say be still let the Infant Jesus come to your storms tonight let us pray oh Lord if we cannot ourselves render the satisfaction for our offenses against thee behold this child Who Weeps and moans who is B numbed with cold on his bed of straw in this Cavern he is here to make atonement for us and he pleads for thy mercy on us though we ourselves are undeserving of pardon the tears and suffering of this thy Guiltless son Merit it for us and he entreats thee to Pardon us