First Reading • Isaiah 52:7-10
Psalm • Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6.
Second Reading • Hebrews 1:1-6
Gospel • John 1:1-18
Some of the most heartwarming videos we see, especially around the holidays, are of people who were expected to be away but suddenly show up and surprise their families.
When their children recognize them, they run into their arms, overwhelmed with tears and joy.
Watching these moments, we cannot help but be moved, because we know how deeply they have missed one another.
Those scenes touch us because they awaken something deep within us: a longing for home.
This is just a simple key. It opens a door – but more importantly, it opens a home, a place where we belong.
When we are away from home, what we miss most is not the building, but the love waiting on the other side of the door. Deep in our hearts, we all want to be welcomed, loved, and accepted unconditionally. We want to come home.
That longing helps explain why Christmas is so closely connected with home and family. There is no other time of year when memories are stronger – both joyful and painful.
We rejoice in family gatherings, but we also feel more deeply the absence of loved ones who are no longer with us or who are far away. At Christmas, we yearn for home.
But this longing is not just sentimental. It is deeply spiritual. The Gospel today tells us that on the first Christmas, God came home to us.
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” God did not give us directions or a key and tell us to find our way to Him. Instead, He came Himself. In Jesus Christ, God chose to make His home with us.
So that we might have a true home in Him and become part of the family of God.
Those who welcomed Him experienced overwhelming joy. The angels sang to the shepherds, who ran to the stable to see the miracle for themselves.
The wise men left their own homes to seek the child who would lead them to a new and lasting home, offering Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh – but above all, offering Him their hearts.
Yet many did not welcome Him. There was no room for Him in Bethlehem. He was born in a stable.
King Herod sought to destroy Him, forcing the Holy Family to flee as refugees. As Saint John tells us, “He came to his own, and his own people did not accept him.”
Many of us here today are blessed to be in our own homes, surrounded by family, and that is something we should never take for granted.
Love is fragile, and time together is precious.
But we also know that among us are those who are grieving, lonely, anxious, or far from home. For them, Christmas can be especially difficult.
Home is also where a light is left on for you. Even in the darkness, that light says: you are not forgotten.
This is the heart of the Christmas message. Because Jesus Christ is born, no one is ever truly alone.
Emmanuel – God is with us. In Christ, God leaves the light on for the whole world. The child born this day – true God from true God – makes Himself small enough to be held, close enough to be loved.
Because Christ is born, we always have a home and a family.
That home is the Church, His Body. Wherever we go, we can find Him – present in the Eucharist, waiting for us, welcoming us. We can always run to Him, just as the shepherds did, and find Him there
The key reminds us that we belong. The candle reminds us that God is present. Together, they tell us what Christmas is really about: the door is open, and the light is on.
So, if this is your first time back in a while, welcome home. You belong here. Let this be the Christmas when we open the door of our hearts, welcome Christ in, and discover the joy of finally coming home.ath to life.
