Christ Our Lord is Born Today—Born into a Family—Born into a Community

One of the most popular images at Christmas is the Manger. In fact, most years at Christmas, I like to preach about the Manger and what it proclaims.

In the Manger we see the poverty into which Christ was born and the extent to which He goes to announce His love for every human being. Whether a person is rich or poor, the Manger declares that Christ loves each of us and will do anything to come to make His dwelling among us. There is a great similarity between Christ’s being born in a manger and the way in which He comes to us in the Eucharist in a small piece of bread. As He comes to dwell among us in poverty in the Manger, in the Eucharist Jesus comes to dwell in our hearts in a small piece of bread. Because this small host, in which Christ gives us His body, is so simple, there can be no barrier to anyone- rich or poor- receiving Him. Unless, of course, we place a barrier there by keeping away from Him. Continue reading →