When A Child, A Love becomes more present

December 24, 2025 – The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), Mass during the Night

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122525-Night.cfm)

Several years ago, after a strong typhoon hit a coastal town in Samar, a reporter interviewed a family whose house had been completely destroyed by Yolanda. The roof was gone, the walls had collapsed, and almost everything they owned was washed away. When asked where they would celebrate Christmas, the father smiled gently and said, “Dito pa rin. Magkakasama naman kami.” That night, with only a small candle, a few cups of rice, and neighbors gathered around, they shared a simple meal and prayed. There were no Christmas lights, no gifts, and no loud music but certainly, there was warmth, laughter, and gratitude. In that very fragile home, Christmas still happened, because love was present.

That story captures something deeply close to us Filipinos and deeply Christian. Christmas, for us, is not about having everything complete or perfect. It is about being together. Meaning, it is about presence. And tonight, as we celebrate the Nativity of the Lord, the Church proclaims a truth that speaks directly to our hearts that God chose to be present with us, especially in our darkness. And so, let us explore our readings how love becomes more present into our realities.

The first reading from Isaiah, it speaks to a people who knew what darkness felt like. They were burdened by fear, oppression, and uncertainty about the future. Life was heavy, and hope seemed far away. Yet, God speaks words of promise to them. God tells them that a great light will shine upon those who walk in darkness, and that this light will come not as an idea or a feeling, but as a child. A son will be born, and through him peace, justice, and hope will take root again. This makes love ever more present.

This promise is not only for the people of long ago. Many us, Filipinos, today also walk in darkness of different kinds. Darkness comes in the form of rising prices of commodities, unstable work, broken relationships, systemic corruption that wounds our nation, and personal struggles we quietly carry. Some families celebrate Christmas tonight with heavy hearts, worried about tomorrow or missing loved ones who are far away, sick, or gone. And into this reality, the Word of God speaks clearly to us by not waiting for darkness to disappear before He comes. Rather, the Lord enters the darkness and brings light from within. This makes love ever more present.

In fact, the Gospel of Luke shows us how this light arrived. God did not choose Rome or a palace, but Bethlehem. He did not announce the birth to kings or the powerful, but to shepherds. They were ordinary people who worked at night and lived on the margins. The angel’s words to them are tender and direct, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy for all the people.” This joy is not selective. It is offered to everyone, especially to those who feel small, tired, and forgotten. And this makes love ever more present.

Indeed, the child is born in simplicity, wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. This tells us something important about God’s heart. God does not come to overpower us. He comes close enough to be welcomed, trusted, and loved. In the vulnerability of the child Jesus, we see a God who chooses closeness over control, compassion over display, and gentleness over power. This makes love ever more present.

Saint Paul, in his letter to Titus, helps us understand what this means for our daily life. He tells us that the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, and that this grace teaches us how to live. Christmas grace is not passive. It invites us to turn away from what destroys life and to choose what builds and nourishes life. The birth of Christ is not only something we remember now. Christmas should rather shape how we live and decide as Christians.

This leads us to the heart of tonight’s message that Christmas is the moment when God’s light enters our ordinary lives so that we may live differently and fully. God’s light enters homes where patience is tested, relationships are strained, and forgiveness feels difficult. God’s light enters communities where honesty and integrity are challenged and where doing what is right often costs something. God’s light enters a nation longing for healing, justice, and peace. And when that light enters this makes love ever more present.

Moreover, the shepherds showed us how to respond to this light. They did not delay or made excuses. They went, they saw, and they believed. After encountering the child, they returned to their work, but they returned being changed by that encounter. They carried joy, wonder, and praise back into their ordinary lives. Christmas did not remove them from reality, it rather, transformed how they lived within it. This makes love ever more present in them.

This is also our challenge tonight. After this Mass, we will return to our homes, into our routines, and our responsibilities. The question is not whether Christmas will end, but whether its light will continue in us. And so, Will the child born in the manger be seen in our words, our choices, our priorities, and our relationships?

In a society where anger spreads quickly and truth is often compromised, Christmas calls us to be a people of light. In families where silence and resentment have grown, Christmas calls us to be bridges of reconciliation. In a country where many feel powerless, Christmas reminds us that God often begins renewal through small but faithful acts done with love so that it becomes more present in us.

Remember what the angels proclaimed, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace.” That peace grows when hearts choose humility, compassion, and courage. Tonight, God has come home to us not to demand perfection, but to walk with us and transform us from within.

And so, let us welcome Jesus not only with songs and decorations, or with our Noche Buena and parties, but with lives willing to carry His light beyond this night so that love becomes ever more present and concrete in our lives.

And so, I invite you to pray with me this prayer as I end this reflection. Together…

Merry Christmas everyone!