The tremendous gift of the Christmas Season is God Himself

“My brothers and sisters, various experiences and feelings are a reality in our lives. There are times when we will be sad, hurt and lonely. There are also times when we are happy and our hearts are filled with joy. But in our experiences and feelings, let’s not forget that God is with us. God is united with us. He is Emmanuel. And most of all, God speaks to our experiences and feelings. So being aware of our experiences and emotions is being aware of God’s work and movement in them.

“During this Christmas season…we have received a tremendous gift from God: God Himself. Emmanuel. Jesus. And we have been receiving a lot of blessings from God, so we return that blessing to God by serving or by sharing what we have to others.

“In our humble hearts, we continue to rejoice in the hope that God will continue to bless us. Merry Christmas to you all. May you always recognize Jesus- the Emmanuel- in your lives, which gives you deep and lasting joy now and forever, amen.”

(Excerpted from the homily delivered by Fr. Bong Dahunan SJ during the Simbang Gabi Mass celebrated at the Church of the Gesu in the evening of 22 December 2022. The Mass was sponsored by the Ateneo de Manila Senior High School.)