The Heart of a Catholic Christmas

As you look around you during this season, do you feel the Christmas spirit of the Christ Child? Bonnie Drury urges us not to lose the magic.

One of my earliest Christmas memories is going to my grandparents’ farm in Arkansas. My brother, sister, and I had nine cousins. We’d all gather around Grandpa as he read about the birth of Jesus from his weathered Bible. Our treat afterward was the best chocolate-chip ice cream ever. 

When it was time for sleep, all twelve kids found a place on the living-room floor. I remember how loudly their big wall clock ticked away the minutes as we waited for Santa to arrive, hoping to catch a glimpse. Santa is a jolly old soul, but is he the heart of Christmas? No. 

At the heart of a Catholic Christmas is the doctrine of the Incarnation. 

And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) 

Jesus, the divine Son, was with God from the beginning.  

God’s plan was for our Savior to shed His (human) blood for the forgiveness of sins (see Hebrews 9:22). In Our Lord’s humanity, the Father reveals that He wants to know us intimately, not from afar. This is difficult to comprehend because He is divine, and we are such lowly, sinful creatures. God made a deliberate choice to bridge the infinite gap between the divine and the human. 

A Pope Speaks 

Pope Benedict XVI said in 2006 during Midnight Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica,  

He does not want to overwhelm us with his strength. He takes away our fear of his greatness. He asks for our love, so he makes himself a child. (Homily)  

Jesus’ Human Nature 

In the Apostles’ Creed, we pray, “For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven, (bow here) and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.” 

Jesus’ human nature experienced hunger, joy, pain, grief, and hope, just like the rest of us. This is God’s way of showing solidarity with human struggles and triumphs. How humbling that must have been after the glory of heaven. That alone, gives us a glimpse into the enormity of His love. 

Through Jesus, God communicated that our lives, with all our trials and sinful mistakes, are profoundly understood and cherished. We can remember this when we’re feeling alone and unloved, not knowing which way to turn. He is there, waiting to love, to forgive, to comfort, and to guide. 

Call to Action 

The Incarnation, that miraculous, historical event, is a call to action for all believers. We can’t all be priests or great leaders, but we can treat one another with kindness and compassion. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). This is what Our Lord asks of us, and what better time to go out of our way than the Christmas season?  

Put Christ into Christmas. It isn’t always easy to see Jesus in each person, but if we think “what if?”, then maybe we’d see His reflection in others. Many families have discovered the joy of giving themselves to the less fortunate on Christmas Day, by feeding the homeless, visiting nursing homes, or inviting the lonely to celebrate with them. Each family can be creative in the way they honor Jesus’ birth. 

I remember one year when our family visited a nursing home, and the first person we met in the hall was a woman named Nellie. She thought we were relatives who’d specifically come to see her, and she was thrilled. Our friendship lasted until she died, and I’ve never forgotten her gentle soul. God granted us a blessing by bringing her into our lives. 

The Incarnation isn’t just a one-time event, but an ongoing invitation to nurture a world built on love, while following in the footsteps of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  

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Copyright 2025 Bonnie Drury
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