“Can Bridget be born the same day as Jesus?”, my 4 year old asked me the other day. While I hadn’t been too enthusiastic about my third child being due around Christmas previously, this innocent question did a lot to win me over.

As a parent, there isn’t much more I want out of Christmas than to have my kids understand its true significance: that new life–in fact THE LIFE–is coming into the world to change it forever. Today’s First Reading from Isaiah tells us that the birth of Emmanuel (Christ) is a sign for us, an unbelieving people, of the power and glory of God.

In an analogous way, the birth of each child is a sign of God’s tremendous love for us. “Why”, my ever-questioning son asked, “did God make me? Why will Baby Bridget be born?” “Because”, I said as I rapidly scrambled to think of an adequate, but simple explanation, “because God loves us and wants us to live a life of joy getting to know Him and loving our family and friends.”

While clearly there are many more nuances to the gift of life than my brief response, hopefully it did capture a fundamental truth about reality. Central to who we are as people, as Sons of Daughters of God, is our identity as a gift. Each of us was made for a purpose and to be a light to the world as we strive to be more like Christ.

As we look at the Nativity scenes this Christmas, we have the opportunity to gaze at the Baby Jesus and remember that, at its core, life is beautiful and comes from a God who loves us!

Caitlin Bootsma is not only the Communications Director at Fuzati, but also the editor of the Truth and Charity Forum, an online journal of Human Life International that approaches life, marriage and family issues from a family perspective. Find out more at truthandcharityforum.org  

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