# Embracing the Child Who Changes Everything
*2016-12-24*

> Bill Young reflects on the midnight Mass he attended, shares Pope Francis’ message on the Incarnation, and offers a prayer for a Christmas lived in true love and justice.

## Midnight Mass in Florida

I just returned from our midnight Mass. My sister Mangala’s birthday is on the 24th, so we celebrated with her cousins in Redlands, down south near Homestead, Florida. After a wonderful family dinner, we looked for a midnight Mass and ended up at St. Mark’s in Cooper City. The liturgy was beautiful and bilingual—half in English, half in Spanish—and I enjoyed it very much.

## Luke’s Reading and Pope Francis’ Message

Today we finish our Advent book, *Preparing the Way*, with the Christmas reading from Luke 2:11: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” Pope Francis reminds us that the Son of God entered our human nature so that we are no longer alone or forsaken. The Virgin Mary offers her Son as the beginning of a new life; we take Him into our arms and are embraced by Him, receiving peace of heart.

This child teaches us what is essential. He was born in poverty, with no room at the inn, laid in a manger among the animals. Yet from that humble beginning the light of God’s glory shines forth. The Incarnation opens the way of authentic liberation and redemption for every person whose heart is open, even in a culture intoxicated by consumerism, wealth, appearances, and narcissism.

## Living the Christmas Message

The child calls us to a simple, balanced, and consistent way of life, capable of seeing and doing what truly matters. We must cultivate a strong sense of justice to discern and do God’s will, rejecting a culture of indifference that often turns ruthless. Our lifestyle should be devoted, filled with compassion and mercy drawn daily from the well‑spring of prayer.

How might we continue the grace of this Advent season by changing our lives and making the world a better place each day? By embracing the humility of the Christ Child and letting that humility shape our actions toward others.

## A Christmas Prayer

Let us pray. Happy birthday, Jesus, our Savior and friend. We thank you for becoming human, taking on flesh and soul, and offering yourself for us on the cross. Blessed are those who believe without having seen. May everyone enjoy a blessed, joyful, and peaceful Christmas with family. May the Holy Spirit and our guardian angels protect all who gather in churches around the world. Amen.

*May the humility of the Christ Child guide us to live each day with justice, compassion, and true love.*