On the Sunday before the Nativity of Christ, Fr. Matthew Howell talks about what Christmas is really about: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). He talks about the family that Jesus was born into and how Christ came to redeem the family history, making it His story, and how He also can redeem us and our families. He also talks about how the Word of God took on the entirety of human nature and how in return He wants us to put on His divinity by putting off our part-time Christianity and becoming full-time faithful followers of Christ, making His life our life. Along the way, Fr. Matthew mentions rescues from frozen ponds and mud pits, and also refers to the dogs from the Pixar movie Up.
During the homily, Fr. Matthew reads the following quote from St. Gregory of Nazianzus:
"Let us become like Christ, since Christ became like us. Let us become gods because of Him, since He for us became man. He took upon Himself a low degree that He might give us a higher one. He became poor, that in His poverty we might become rich."
