Advent Reflections (Week 4) – by Fr. Bob Warren, S.A.
Laced throughout the bible, there is kind of a Cinderella theme, highlighting how God often works through many lowly, despised, and unlikely individuals.
The Christmas story is a perfect example: a teenage girl in a humble corner of the world learns she will be the Mother of God. Thanks to Mary, Bethlehem became a place of birth, but every heart is also a Bethlehem—a place for new beginnings.
What is the purpose of Christmas? What was Christ’s Christmas dream? Simply put, Christ was born to inspire others to embody His spirit. Christmas loses its meaning if it’s just about God being born in a stable; it must also be about God being born in our hearts. Each Christmas since the first has unfolded within human hearts.
St. John tells us that the Word became flesh, bridging the human beauty of the Christmas story with the divine. God is present in the straw, cradled by the human Blessed Mother, surrounded by caroling angels—God’s servants.
We must remember that Jesus’ birth is not merely an historical event, but a transformative experience that can be repeated endlessly. To carry the spirit of Christmas into the new year, Christ must be reborn, renewed within us. As St. Paul the Apostle said, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” This is how we can find peace on earth and in our hearts.
