There is a strange paradox to Christmas Eve. We spend weeks ramping up—buying the food, wrapping the boxes, chasing the deadlines—only to ar...
There is a strange paradox to Christmas Eve. We spend weeks ramping up—buying the food, wrapping the boxes, chasing the deadlines—only to arrive at this moment where everything suddenly stops.
If you are reading this, the rush is likely over. The streets are quieter. The notifications on our phones have slowed down. We are standing at the threshold of the Nativity.
The readings for the Midnight Mass—prophecy from Isaiah, history from Luke, and theology from Titus—are not just ancient texts. They are a map for the weary modern soul. They tell a unified story of how God enters the human experience.
To help us hold onto this message amidst the distractions of the season, I want to offer you three words that start with the letter "L". These are the three gifts God offers us tonight: LIGHT, LOWLINESS, and LIFE.
LIGHT (Isaiah 9:1-6). We begin with the Prophet Isaiah. He writes to a nation in crisis, saying: "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light."
In our modern context, we don’t really fear the dark anymore. We have streetlamps, flashlights, and the ever-present glow of our smartphone screens. But Isaiah isn't talking about the absence of photons. He is talking about the darkness of disorientation.
Have you ever experienced a sudden power outage in a strange place? I remember once being in a rural province during a storm. The power cut out completely. It wasn't just dark; it was heavy. You couldn't see your hand in front of your face. You froze, afraid to move because you didn't know where the furniture was, where the door was, or what was happening.
Then, someone lit a single, small candle.
That candle didn't turn night into day. It didn't stop the storm outside. But it did something crucial: it gave us orientation. We knew where we were. We knew where the others were. The panic subsided.
Isaiah promises that Christ is that Light. He doesn't promise to instantly fix the "storms" of our world—the politics, the wars, the economic anxiety. But He offers the Light that orients us. When you feel lost in the darkness of "What is my purpose?" or "Why is this happening?", the Christmas message is that God has lit a candle in the universe. You are not abandoned in the dark. You can see where to step next.
LOWLINESS (Luke 2:1-14). If God is the great "Light," surely He should arrive in a blaze of glory, right? This brings us to our second "L": LOWLINESS.
St. Luke tells us the story we know so well, but perhaps we have polished it too much. We see the Nativity on Hallmark cards or in porcelain figurines where the animals are clean, the straw is golden, and Mary looks well-rested.
But the reality of the Gospel is much grittier. Jesus was born in a manger because there was "no room for them in the inn." In the Asian context, hospitality is everything. To be turned away, to be forced to give birth among animals—this is a scandal. It implies poverty, rejection, and powerlessness.
God bypassed the palaces of Rome. He bypassed the religious elite in the Temple. He went to the bottom. He went to the Lowliness of a stable, and He revealed Himself to shepherds—men who were considered social outcasts, smelling of sheep and sleeping under the stars.
Why is this "Lowliness" good news for us?
Because we live in a world obsessed with "Highliness." We curate our lives on Instagram to look perfect. We worry about our job titles, our net worth, and our reputation. We are terrified of being seen as "less than."
The message of the manger is that God is not impressed by your filter; He is in love with your reality. He enters the messy, imperfect, "lowly" parts of your life—the parts you try to hide. You don't need to clean up your life before you approach God. He was born in a feeding trough; He is not afraid of your mess.
LIFE (Titus 2:11-14). So we have the Light (Orientation) and the Lowliness (Connection). What do we do with them? This leads to the final word from the Second Reading: LIFE.
St. Paul writes to Titus: "For the grace of God has appeared... training us to renounce ungodliness and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives."
Christmas is not just a sentimental anniversary. It is an invitation to a new way of Life.
There is a story of a man who received a very expensive, complex tool as a gift from his father. For years, he kept it in the box, admiring it, dusting it, and telling people, "Look at this gift my father gave me." But he never used it. The gift was useless because it never changed how he worked.
The "Grace" of Christmas is not a decoration to be admired once a year. It is a tool for living.
* Because God came in Lowliness, our Life should be marked by humility, not arrogance.
* Because God is the Light, our Life should be about bringing clarity and hope to others, not spreading gloom or gossip.
* Because God made peace with us, we must live a Life of peace with our annoying neighbors or estranged relatives.
The connection of the readings is this: The Light reveals the Lowliness where God meets us, so that we can live a new Life.
Friends, as you celebrate this season, whether you are surrounded by a noisy clan or sitting in a quiet apartment, remember the Three "L"s.
* Look for the Light. When you feel confused or anxious, look to Jesus as your orientation.
* Embrace Lowliness. Don't pressure yourself to be perfect. God meets you in the simple and the humble.
* Choose Life. Let this grace change how you treat people tomorrow morning.
The baby in the manger is the Light of the World. He meets us in our Lowliness. He offers us true Life.
Merry Christmas!
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