God has been so good to us. He continues to be. Jesus came into this world that He may be with us. I remember when being a child, we
would visit relatives. We just enjoyed being with each other. My siblings and I would get to play with our cousins and have so much fun. Every year we would
get so excited about being with all our relatives. To this day, it is such a great joy to be with family. Some are gone now, but we count the blessings of the ones we have and look forward to seeing our relatives who have died after this life. We thank God that we have such great relationships. Family brings life, purpose, and meaning to our lives.
So it is with our relationship with Jesus. This Christmas is an opportunity to visit Jesus when He was a child. Just being with family means so much. Just being
with Jesus means even more. When you spend time with others, it is an experience of their character and hopefully their love. Though many might not be able to spend time with their families this year, they can spend time with Jesus. This is the whole reason why He became a little child. He wants to simply be with us, and for us to simply be with Him. This year might be an opportunity to grow deeper in your relationship with Jesus.
COVID has come, and it will go; it too shall pass. But as for the love of God, it endures to this very day from 2000 years ago. Two thousand years ago, God became man and spent time with us. To this very day, He chose to be with us in the Mass and adoration. He has never abandoned us. He really does live here in the Eucharist. It is a physical manifestation of the love of God. How good it is to be in His presence in the Eucharist. It is not the same as looking into the eyes of the
child Jesus, but it is very powerful. Just being in the presence of God brings healing, peace and joy to the heart.

Thank God He still chooses to be with us. Many still cannot take the risk of coming to Mass or adoration. Yet I invite all who can. For those of high risk, I encourage you to put yourself in the presence of the child Jesus by sitting in front of your nativity scene and think about the Child Jesus. Think about how
he is the all-powerful God, and yet wanted to be a little baby for us. Why for us? Why for you? As a meditation, pretend to hold the baby Jesus. You may even want to use the baby Jesus in your nativity scene as a prop. What do you think His eyes would have looked like? What songs would Mary have sung to the holy baby? What would have been different about this baby? I would think it would be the peace in just holding Him. How is it that a baby can bring healing to a soul? How powerful is the littleness of God!
Coming as a triumphant soldier could never bring such grace. Neither is it the way of God. God has shown Himself to be full of compassion, mercy and love.
In this Baby, He is revealing who He is; His character in how He chooses to act. Knowing that God has visited us somehow brings peace and wholeness.
This character did not end with growing up. He died on the cross for us and healed so many people before He did.
Even at the resurrection, He still did not condemn Peter for denying Him three times. No, rather He called Peter to reconciliation. After He ascended into
heaven and was seated on His throne in heaven, He still did not exercise His authority with anger. He still showed compassion and love for us. To this very
day, He comes on the altar in the Eucharist. He still comes vulnerable, looking like a piece of bread, yet this is our God. It is His character to be so little and loving. He calls each and every one of us to His love. He desires us to experience this form of salvation in this life and in the next. The peace and wholeness we come to experience in this life is the foreshadowing of His peace in the next life. We look forward to that day. Until then, Merry Christmas, and may the peace of God always live within you.