Advent Reflections (Week 3) – by Fr. Bob Warren, S.A.
As we enter the Third Week of Advent, it’s impossible to ignore how Christmas has been commercialized and sanitized.
Christmas cards often present Nativity scenes filled with a serene baby in a manger, angelic choirs, and well-dressed shepherds and Magi — scenes which resemble a Radio City Music Hall production more than they do reality.
Bethlehem was far from what we usually see on Christmas cards; it was a scruffy village, and Mary and Joseph were poor peasants. The manger was not a cozy crib from Target or Amazon, but a feeding trough for animals.
When we dress up the Nativity like a Disney set, we miss the essence of Christ’s incarnation. God entered our flawed human existence, embracing our limitations and brokenness to nourish our souls with love amid our struggles.
To truly grasp the meaning of Christmas, we must set aside those idealized images and recognize that Christ is present where we long to be—among the small, the needy, the doubting, and the despairing.
Christmas is not about soft sentimentality; it represents God’s earnest desire to be with us.
Why? Because He did not want to spend eternity without us.
