Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) 2021

Most Reverend José H. Gomez
Archbishop of Los Angeles

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
December 25, 2021

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,¹

So it is indeed a beautiful day, beautiful evening that we can celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

And the prophet tells us tonight in the first reading: “You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing!” Yes, this is a night of joy. Tonight, Christ our Savior is born. And the whole earth rejoices.

In our responsorial psalm, we see that beautiful vision of the whole earth — singing! The sea and the mountains, the plains and the forests, are all singing “a new song” — blessing the Lord, praising his holy name.

So tonight, every land rejoices, and every human heart is filled with new hope and new possibilities. And that means your heart, and my heart, every heart is alive with the promise of salvation.   

So we are here tonight, my dear brothers and sisters, because we believe in Christmas — the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

So Christmas is not a legend. Christmas is not a myth. Jesus Christ is real.

That is why the Gospel tonight begins the way that it does — with history: “In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria.”

 So our faith is grounded in facts, in reality.

And then the Gospel wants us to know that Jesus Christ was born at a particular time in history, in a specific location. The first Christmas took place at the precise time when Caesar was emperor of Rome and Quirinius was governor of Syria. It’s true, our faith is grounded, I insist, in reality — in facts.

But it’s beautiful to see that Jesus Christ does not enter the world as the Lord of the nations. Although he is the image of the invisible God, the Creator of the universe, he humbles himself, empties himself of all power. He comes down to earth from heaven — as a newborn baby.²

So the Almighty God makes himself vulnerable, dependent. He needs St. Joseph to hold him in his arms and Our Lady to nurse him and comfort him.

So my brothers and sisters, every word that we hear tonight in our liturgy, speaks of one truth and that is that God loves us so much that he became one like us, to share in our humanity.

His humanity is written on every page of the Gospels. He had a family and he worked for a living. He took his faith seriously. He prayed, went to services, read the Scriptures. But he also experienced hunger and thirst, and he knew what it felt like to be weary and angry, to feel frustrated and misunderstood. He faced suffering and death as everyone does, reluctantly.

And through his humanity, he shows us his divinity. By sharing in our human life, he makes it possible for us to share in his divine life.

So this is the truth of Christmas. Jesus is real! His love for you — for each one of us — is real.

So let us reflect on that quiet, tender scene in tonight’s Gospel. We have heard these lines many, many times before. And I quote tonight’s Gospel: “While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”

Let’s reflect on that. Let’s come down to the manger. Let us adore the Child, as the shepherds did on that first Christmas night. And let us offer this honor to the Child — let’s offer him the gift of our heart.

Jesus  is Emmanuel, “God with us,” until the end of time.³ He is the Word of God who was made flesh to dwell among us. And as the Word, he is speaking to us, tonight. He is calling to each one of us, inviting us to a new friendship with him.

Let us contemplate him coming to be with us.

So on this night of joy — when the earth sings a new song, when angels fill the night sky with songs of heavenly glory — I pray that each one of us, each one of you, will allow a new awareness of Jesus to awaken in your heart.   

I wish for you and your loved ones — all the joy and wonder of this holy season.

I pray that our Blessed Mother Mary will gain for us, a new assurance of God’s tender love. May Jesus be born again in our hearts. — as he was born from her on that first Christmas night! Amen.

So merry Christmas to you all!