Christ the Savior is born

Merry Christmas to all. And thanks be to God the Father for the gift of his only begotten Son, who has come to us in our broken world and brought us salvation.

On this blessed day, I want to offer this reflection on the significance of the Incarnation. I think that, amidst all the festivities and fellowship that make up our Christmas celebrations, we should also take time to meditate upon the magnitude of God's incarnation in Jesus Christ. We can have help in doing that from Athanasius of Alexandria, one of my favorite early church fathers who - contra mundum - strove to articulate for the Christian church what it meant that the Son of God was God himself, eternally begotten of the Father and incarnate through the power of the Holy Spirit. I draw on the thoughts of St. Athanasius in my reflection.

These are great mysteries that have been revealed among us. And it is fitting that we meditate on them, as an act of thanksgiving and praise. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.