He became poor so that we might be rich
Horatio Alger was an author known for his rags-to-riches tales. He wrote stories about how the underdog rises to success through goodwill, hard work and determination. People have always been drawn to these kinds of stories: when the misfit becomes the star quarterback on the football team, or when the understudy takes the stage and steals the show.
But the story of Jesus is a rags-to-riches story in reverse. St. Paul reminds us in his letter to the Corinthians, “Though He was rich, yet for your sake, He became poor.”
Jesus was divine, born of the Father before all ages. Yet, He entered our world in utter humility. He was born, not in a palace, but in a cave; not surrounded by wealth, but by straw and animals.
When He grew up, He wasn’t a ruler or a scholar, but a carpenter, dressed in simple clothes. And at the end of His life, as He hung upon the cross, He experienced the deepest poverty – the loss of blood, of breath, of life itself.
Jesus left the riches of Heaven to take on the rags of earth – so that we might cast off our rags of sin and sorrow and share in the riches of Heaven. That is a gift worth far more than anything we could ever unwrap on December 25th.
During this Christmas season, we can rejoice in the great gift of salvation. We can celebrate the immeasurable grace and generosity of our Lord, who became poor so that we might become rich in His love and in eternal life.
During this first week of Advent, may we remember the words Scripture tells us: “Know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, He became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich.”
