Bishop Robert Brennan's Christmas Day Message: Jesus was born on this day, precisely to love us, to love you, to love me

24:00 “On this day, this Christmas Day our eyes are drawn to the stable, the Nativity scene, the Crèche, to the image of Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus. Do you sense as you look upon them that sigh of relief after an arduous journey and the anxiety of not knowing where they would stay at the very time that Mary would deliver her child? Do you see them looking peacefully, lovingly, tenderly at him, who would one day be the Bread of Life, now lying in a manger?”

29:11 “Why Christmas? God so loved the world, God so loves us. Indeed, the word became flesh and dwelt among us because God loves us more than we could ever imagine. Fear not, Oh Zion, be not discouraged! The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness.”

29:51 “God came into the world, Jesus was born on this day, precisely to love us, to love you, to love me. Our world, our experience is not all that different from that of the prophet Zephaniah. The consequences of God being pushed out from society are very real and very palpable. But neither was it all that different for Mary and Joseph in Palestine under Roman occupation. God did not wait for all to be peaceful and calm in the world before he would come. No, God does not abandon us, but he steps right into the messiness of the world, the messiness of our lives. Why? Because He loves us, and He knows we need Him.”

32:02 “Friends, we find our strength and hope with Mary and Joseph gazing intensely on Jesus. Here we encounter the truth of God’s love and His larger plan. What is his larger plan? He comes to be with you, to walk with you, laugh with you and cry with you, to share your joy and hope, your grief and anguish. He comes as a child, weak and poor, to identify with you, to shoulder your burdens, to help you. He comes to share our humanity so that we, in turn, might share his divinity. He loves us, and He wants us with Him for all eternity.”

33:40 "God dwells among us. Listen attentively to God with openness to the signs of His presence and be receptive to His plans, and not simply our own. Look lovingly at Jesus in the crib. He loves you – he loves you very much, and he wants to dwell with you to help you and lead you to his Glory."

Video of the Christmas Day Mass:

Courtesy: DeSales Media