Why was Jesus born?

Why was Jesus born; in other words, why did Jesus take on human flesh and became man?

  1. Jesus, the Son of God, was born in order to reveal God to man: God’s greatest revelation of Himself to man is in Jesus Christ. Before Christ came to the world, God revealed Himself to man in many ways. He made a covenant with Abraham, He gave the law to Moses, He spoke through the prophets, etc. However, it was in Jesus Christ that man came to know God in the flesh. In the Gospels, Jesus revealed to us that God is not a legalistic God, but a truly merciful and loving God.
  2. Jesus, the Son of God, was born in order to reveal man to himself: He showed man who he is and what he may become. Jesus called people to become His disciples, and we have seen in the New Testament what they went through in terms of knowing, believing and loving God through Christ. Anyone who chooses to follow Christ can relate to what the disciples went through and gain a better understanding of how God works in their lives. We have been created in the image of God and that can be fully realized only in our adoption as children of God. 
  3. Jesus, the Son of God, was born in order to redeem mankind: The moral degradation of mankind necessitated the coming of the Redeemer since there could be no hope of deliverance apart from God Himself. Mankind’s redemption could be realized only through the Incarnate Son of God, who is the link between God and sinful man. Jesus died on the Cross as expiation for our sins (1 John 2:2), but He rose from the dead so that we might live a new life in God’s grace.
  4. Jesus, the Son of God, was born in order to restrain Satan: Of all the works of Satan, the worst is that of destroying life. Satan is the spoiler of humanity, his goal is to bring both physical and spiritual death to mankind. But Jesus became man so that “through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is the devil (Hebrews 2:14).” By dying, Jesus “destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel (2 Timothy 1:10).”

The History of Salvation began in Creation and culminated in Jesus Christ (CCC 280). God freely wills to communicate the glory of His blessed life to man. Such is the plan conceived by the Father in His beloved Son before the foundation of the world. This plan unfolded in the work of creation, the whole history of salvation after the fall, and the missions of the Son and the Holy Spirit, which are continued in the mission of the Church. (CCC 257) 

A Gift

Have you received a certain gift? If you can’t see it, your heart knows it. This gift, waiting outside the door of your heart, is for you to prepare that others cannot accept it. Life is finite, time will go, if you don’t cherish it, chances are hard to keep. Although the gift is good, how can you get it if you don’t want it? How can you get it? Dear friend, do you think: The baby in the manger is here for you. Dear friend, do you understand that the best gift is the Lord Jesus, the Son of God. Life is finite, time will go, if you don’t cherish it, chances are hard to keep. Although the gift is good, how can you get it if you don’t want it? How can you get it?

Please note: Mass at Midnight on Saturday, December 24 will begin at 11:30pm. Mass on Christmas Day will begin at 10:00am. Come and invite your family and friends to our special Christmas celebrations.  The Chinese Mass for January 1 (Mary, Mother of God) and January 8 (Epiphany) will begin at the usual time of 10:30am. Please check our church website or Tabella for Mass schedule. 

We will have a potluck lunch after the Mass on Christmas Day. Bring a dish and share the joy of Christmas with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  

Attention parents: Please bring your gifts on Christmas Day and give them to Daisy or Angela to be placed under the Christmas tree. Santa Claus will give the gifts to the children after the 10:00 am Mass on Christmas Day.

There will be English class with Ms. Madison Pickney today at 11:30am in the Youth Room. All are welcome.

Prayer List: Liang Chenjing, Deng Lizhen, Pan Bohao, Angela Griffin, Wang Dacheng, Long Guorui, Zhang Qiang, Li Kuiying and Xu Taicheng.