Christmas Homily 2025
The Monstrance Who Descends
Every
year I help at a Catholic summer camp called Camp Veritas. The highlight of the
camp is a powerful time of Eucharistic Adoration – which is where the
Eucharist, the true Body and Blood of the Lord, is placed in this golden vessel
called a monstrance – and we spend time in Adoration. One evening, the
priest will carry Our Lord in the monstrance to each one of the 200 teens who
are kneeling, singing praises to God. It’s an immensely moving experience – and
a little exhausting, after holding the monstrance aloft for two straight hours!
But this
year, as I was bringing the monstrance around, I noticed that some of the kids
were short – seriously small – and that they wouldn’t be able to see our
Eucharistic Jesus in the monstrance. So I got down on one knee and brought
Jesus to their eye-level. It was such a beautiful time – bringing Our Lord so
low that these small kids could see Him.
And
isn’t that exactly what Christmas is all about? As much as we may look up into
the sky, none of us have a window into Heaven. None of us can see God’s face or
get to know who He is. He’s far too high above us, and we are far too small. So
He decided to come down to our level, descending so that we can gaze upon the
Face of God when we look into the eyes of the newborn Baby in Bethlehem.
The
humility of our God! Could you imagine a King who, seeing an enemy sinking in
the mud, would be willing to take off his royal robes of silk and gold, leave
his majestic throne and beautiful palace, and dive into the mud to lift him out?
I doubt we’d ever see that in a human kingdom, but this is precisely the
self-emptying of God.
While we
were still His enemies, lost in sin, He was willing to be born in a filthy
animal trough. While we were still ignoring and rejecting Him, He was born into
shivering cold. While we filled our lives with sinful pleasures, He endured
hunger and thirst for us. While we were still trying to make ourselves like
God, He became like us in all things but sin.
Only
love would give up the glories of Heaven for the miseries of earth. A love so
powerful that He lifts us up from our boring, ordinary, sometimes-miserable,
often-enslaved lives to invite us to eternal life with Him.
So now
that God is small, not just in the manger but in the Eucharist, what is our response?
Well, gaze upon this monstrance. It is very beautiful, but it is empty. Jesus
in the Eucharist is not inside of it. So despite its beauty, it’s kinda
pointless.
Likewise,
our lives may be very fine on the outside. Maybe we’ve got a great job, a nice
house, a happy family. But are we missing the very centerpiece of Jesus Christ?
If so, then the beauty of our lives is ultimately empty. We were made to be
monstrances – to contain Christ at the heart of our lives, and to show Christ
to the world.
You are not here today by accident, or just
out of a sentimental custom. You are here because you have been invited
by Jesus Christ. He is bringing you here to invite you to begin practicing your
Catholic Faith, or perhaps to renew its fervor. He is bringing you here because
perhaps He wants you to have a living, personal relationship with Him for the
first time. No matter why you think you’re here, you have been invited.
And now He asks for your response to this invitation. I’d like to invite all
here to bow their heads. If you feel a desire to invite Jesus Christ into your
heart in a new way this day, I invite you to pray this prayer after me. You may
pray it out-loud or silently, or not pray it at all. It’s up to you to respond
to this invitation.
Lord
Jesus, I believe in You. I believe that You are the savior of the world. I
believe that You died for my sins. And now I turn away from my sins. I ask You
to be my Savior. I ask You to live in my soul. I dedicate my life to You. Amen.
This
monstrance puts Christ at the center so that the world may see and adore Him.
May our lives do the same.
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