“God becomes man to live in our midst.” - Blessed Basil Moreau

When we are contemplating one of God's mysteries, we should only bend our knees and live those mysteries from a perspective and experience of the faith, that is, assimilate them with total and absolute trust in His Word and providential presence.

One day I read a phrase that said, "This Christmas will be different because there will be an empty chair in the family dining room." And, in a certain way it is true, someone in the family will not be present, because he has died, however, we have the certainty that it is in this time of Christmas when we experience the inner strength that the Child of Bethlehem brings; He comes to give comfort, hope, tenderness.

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For this great mystery, God wanted to join all the men and women, each one of us, to communicate his life, his joy and his love. He becomes like one of us to live our life, to dream, to suffer, and to grow together with us. Thus, God is God-with-us, God who loves us, God who walks with us, who accompanies us and does not leave us alone.

It is a different Christmas, because our hope grows even more when we know that we are accompanied and consoled by God who becomes a man, when we gather as a family in front of the manger, we pray for family unity and we allow ourselves to be attracted by the tenderness of Baby Jesus, that is born poor and fragile in our midst to give us strength, trust, and his Love. It really is a different Christmas, Mystery of God.

This reflection for Christmas was written by Fr. Jorge Armando Morales Trejo, C.S.C., who is Director of Vocations for the Congregation of Holy Cross in Mexico.