During these days, beautiful Advent hymns play in our minds; the sounds of Christmas carols and the smell of Christmas trees and goodies fills the air; the challenge of arranging for Christmas cards and gifts weighs upon us; people hurry and scurry about to parties. In spite of the commercialism and secular aspects of this season, we do our best to keep our focus on Jesus, the Son of God, whose birth in our human flesh we celebrate, and whose coming anew in grace we prepare for.

Yes, our Savior is coming. Throughout the ages, the prophets foretold God’s promise to send a Savior. Such promises, we hear throughout the Sundays of Advent. The prophet Isaiah, especially, makes urgent the invitation: “O house of Jacob, come; let us walk in the light of the Lord.” (Is 2:5) Again, “Let the desert exult; let the wastelands rejoice. They shall see the glory of the Lord...Your God is coming to save you.” (Is 35:1, 5) Zecharaiah, John the Baptist’s father exults: “In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet in the way of peace.” (Lk 1 78-79)

One that summarizes the season so beautifully is Isaiah’s prophecy regarding the virgin birth read on the fourth Sunday of Advent and at other times throughout the Advent/Christmas season: “Behold, the virgin shall be with-child and she shall bring forth a son; and they shall call him ‘Emmanuel,’ a name which means ‘God is with us.’” (Is 7:11) This reveals the very intention of God, that is, to send and manifest his only begotten Son to us — and as one of us.

Yes, the Word/Son of God became flesh. The Incarnation means the union of the two natures, human and divine, in the one person, Jesus, our Savior and Lord. (This union is called the “hypostatic union.”) But, let us remember why God became man. In Jesus, God came to pay humanity’s debt. (“Adam” is an ancient Semitic word that means “humanity,” and “Eve” means “the living.”) Humanity fell into sin and out of the state of grace. Only man could make restitution for sin, but only God could remove sin and elevate us to a share in God’s Divine life through grace. So, in his infinite love and mercy, God “became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (Jn 1:14).

Not Sacred Scripture, but an English legend defined the “apple” as the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The “pear” was regarded as the fruit of the tree of life. Add a Eucharistic symbol to the tree, such as manna and quail (or “partridge” in England) and we have the code for the Christmas carol, “A Partridge in a Pear Tree.” Jesus is the Bread/Food from heaven; the cross is the tree of Life, and the partridge in the tree represents the crucified Lord who was born among us, lived our human life, experienced our joys and sorrows, suffered our human injustice and pain and died our human death — vicariously for us — so that we could become what he is (the Son of God). Thus, we were born again in baptism as sons and daughters of God, sharers in the Divine life here on earth and destined for the glory of God in heaven — if we keep coming to the Savior.

At Christmas, therefore, we celebrate God’s perfect gift to us — the gift of his Son, our Infant Savior, Jesus, our Prince of Peace. Let us prepare; let us open our minds and hearts; let us come to him. May we be filled with the Savior’s abundant grace, peace, and joy. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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