The Child in the Manger, Day 2

It is possible that in the bustle of the Christmas season, we might not have the time to reflect on the entire  homily of Pope Francis from Midnight Mass (suggested in yesterday's post).  So, perhaps a few sentences at a time would be better:

"With this sign the Gospel reveals a paradox.  It speaks of the emperor, the governor, the high and mighty of those times, yet God does not make himself present there.  He appears not in the splendor of a royal palace, but in the poverty of a stable; not in pomp and show, but in simplicity of life; not in power, but in astonishing smallness.  In order to meet him, we need to go where he is.  We need to bow down, to humble ourselves, to make ourselves small.  The newborn Child challenges us.  He calls us to leave behind fleeting illusions and to turn to what is essential, to renounce our insatiable cravings, to abandon our endless yearning for things we will never have.  We do well to leave such things behind, in order to discover, in the simplicity of the divine Child, peace, joy and the luminous meaning of life."