This year I’ve been reflecting on why exactly it might be that, when God came to us, he did so as a baby.  It seems illogical to our minds….wouldn’t it make more sense for the all powerful, almighty, all majestic God to come as superman, or batman, or a king, or GI Joe, etc??  But I think God came as a baby for some important reasons. I thought of three

1. So we wouldn’t be afraid of him. We humans are often afraid of other humans. Sometimes we are afraid of each other. Sometimes we’re afraid to talk to those we don’t know, or our bosses, or those who are different from us. Middle schoolers are afraid to talk tot he boy or girl they like. But no one is afraid of a baby.  There is something innocent and calming about a baby.  God came as a baby so we wouldn’t be scared of him.  There’s a story of a farmer and his barn. There was a blizzard and a group of birds nearby were getting caught up in it. The farmer saw them and opened the door so that they could take refuge from the storm in his barn, but the birds didn’t enter…they were afraid of him, for he was a man and they were birds. Would that I could be a bird, he thought, for then I could — as one of them — tell them to trust me and follow me.  God came, not just looking like us, but as one of us, as a baby, in order that we might not be afraid but instead trust him
2. God also came as a baby because a baby needs to be cared for. Fr Joe Moriarty tells of a school girl who was walking by an outdoor nativity set in the middle of a cold day. She took her scarf off to give it to JEsus.  HE asked her why. She said, “He must be cold.” Just as we must take care of a baby, we must take care of Christ. We do that when we take care of his body the church, and whne we take care of him inside one another. Jeuss lives in everyone. When we take acre of each other, we take care of Jeuss.
3. God also came as a baby in order that we might love him.  Everyone loves a baby. Jesus want sthat  we love him.  If our love is not concrete, it is not real. How do you love Jesus?  Prayer? Sunday Mass? Sacraments? Scripture? It has to be all of that!  The states of the baby Jesus always have his arms extended out, embracing us. He wants nothign more than that we love him back.  Yesterday at the 4pm Mass with all the kids I had an idea given me by the Holy Spirit on the spot….I told the kids to take their hands, put them over their hearts, close their fist, and then throw their hearts to Jesus. I had his statue in front of me.  JEsus wants our hearts!  He wants that we love him!

May we always trust Jesus, take care of him, and love him!  Merry Christmas