"She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." Today we celebrate that the prophetic dream of St. Joseph was fulfilled! Jesus is born! A Savior has come to deliver us-Emmanuel, "God is with us." Christmas is a feast of fulfillment, a holiday of deep and enduring happiness not only because God became man and was born of a woman, but because along with his Incarnation, God brought us freedom. Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah who sets us free from the misery of our own sins. This is the ultimate gift of Christmas Day.  

"She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus." Joseph heard these prophetic words in a dream. They were words of anticipation, of what was to come. And in a sense, they ushered in a kind of Advent for Joseph. With this divine message, Joseph began a period of holy waiting. He now knew that the Messiah was going to be coming into his own home, and he had just nine months to prepare! We can only imagine how Joseph might have spent these precious days. Most likely he did more than prepare a physical home for his soon-to-be born Son; he must have also used these days to prepare his heart, mind, and soul for such a tremendous mission.  

"The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised." Jesus has quite a résumé. When asked whether or not he is the long awaited Messiah, Jesus replies with this list of his credentials as proof of his position. These signs and wonders speak volumes, to be sure. But perhaps the most interesting line on the list is his concluding one, "the poor have the good news proclaimed to them." Why does he count this among his litany of miracles? What is so remarkable about sharing good news?

"Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance." John the Baptist does not mince words. He tells it like it is. When the hypocritical Pharisees and Sadducees show up piously for baptism, John calls them out, saying, "You brood of vipers!" Not welcoming words, to say the least. Then he tells them that being part of the religious club (i.e., children of Abraham) isn't enough. No, "every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."