God is with us.
The name given to the Child is Emmanuel — “God is with us.” Not was with us, not will be one day, but is with us: in the world’s story, in the Church’s journey, and in the hidden (and not-so-hidden) places of our own lives. As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, we celebrate not only a birth in Bethlehem long ago, but the enduring nearness of God who chooses to dwell among us. Mary received this presence with her wholehearted “yes,” allowing God’s Word to take flesh in her for the salvation of the world. Every vocation begins with the same openness: welcoming God’s will, letting His presence shape us, and allowing that presence to take flesh within us, so that we may share Him with others. May we, like Mary, receive Emmanuel and give Him flesh through our lives.
