The following article is my reflection on the quiet, inspirational beauty of the Christmas season. It appears on Catholic Exchange in full.

The Christmas season is beautiful and inspiring. During Christmastide, many of us have time for quiet contemplation, and we are able to ponder images such as stables and shepherds and Magi and gifts. This season’s stillness and quiet allow us to realize that God showers abundant blessings on us, and that He is preparing us for a dynamic mission. We need to listen and ponder what God has in store. The iconic images of Christmas are a window into beautiful trends in our lives for the year ahead.

The images of the Christmas season remind us to be more childlike in our faith, gazing in wonder at the God who became man. The Incarnation is a central tenet of our faith, and it is necessary for each of us to grow in our devotion to the reality of God-in-Flesh. We could take the whole year to ponder this truth and not exhaust its richness. Yet, secular modernity will tell us that it is unreasonable to believe in a God who would lower Himself to our level. Indeed, they are correct! That is why Jesus tells us several times in the Gospels that faith flourishes when we “become like children” (Mt. 18:3). In our life of faith, it is often necessary to accept, like a child, that things are real even if they don’t quite make sense. We will be better for it, because we will be able to marvel and wonder at how God does such amazing things that are beyond us. And, He will continue to do them for us, in us, and through us, if we continue to approach Him with the faith of a child.

Read the rest of this article on Catholic Exchange.