In a few weeks we will once again be celebrating the birth of Jesus. In between shopping and cooking and the exchange of gifts with family and friends, we will enjoy another opportunity to get in touch with one of the central mysteries of our faith and deepen our sense of life’s purpose and meaning. 

The core message of the story of Christ’s birth revolves around the mystery of the Incarnation – the remarkable, overwhelming realization that God took on human form and all its limitations through the person of His Son Jesus Christ. We will always marvel at the seeming incompatibility between an all powerful God and the vulnerable Child in the manger. And yet this is the starting point of our Catholic faith from which arise all of our deepest hopes and values.  

The message of Christmas has always been one of joy and affirmation as God becomes man, embraces each of us and dignifies our humanity. As the Son of God born of Mary, the Infant Jesus embodies all of our human frailties and yet transcends them. The birth of Jesus totally transforms the purpose and destiny of every human being.  The new born Christ brings hope and the promise of redemption to all who believe and choose to follow His lead. 

I am by no means a Biblical scholar, but I have always been struck by how often the Gospel stories of the New Testament have strong connections to events described in the Old Testament. The Christmas story has always made me think back to the story of Genesis where God first created man in His own image. Both stories affirm the same fundamental belief – that God has profoundly blessed our lives by sharing an aspect of His eternal Self with us. We all possess a spark of divinity and share the deeply held instinct that our earthly existence is but a journey to an eternal afterlife.   

This same message sits at the core of Catholic Social Teaching that affirms the intrinsic sanctity of life and essential dignity of each human being, and calls upon all the faithful to treat each other with respect by living in supportive community. Catholic Social Teaching also insists on what it calls “the preferential option” for the poor and vulnerable.  As part of our celebration of the gift of “God-made-man,” we must accept a call to treasure the divine potential in every human life, assist those most in need of our help and protect and nourish their human dignity. 

So how can we acknowledge the gift of Divine Life that is Christmas and how do we reflect it in our own individual lives?  I think we accept the simple call to be Christ’s followers. This means cultivating an intense awareness of our individual spiritual nature and journey and at the same time practicing Christ’s special embrace of the poor, the suffering, those most in need and those most without influence.  

In our daily work at the Foundation for Senior Living, we try to live Christ’s call to build a caring community by serving our aging seniors and adults with disabilities. We minister to their physical, social, emotional and spiritual needs and strive to preserve their independence and promote their personal dignity. We encourage those we serve to remember that whatever limitations they may suffer due to aging, personal losses, chronic illness or other disabilities, they possess an inner spirit that yearns for expression.     

Most often, however, we find that it is our clients who lead by example, demonstrating to us their deep conviction that every day grants a new gift of life and an opportunity to perfect and share their talents.     

May we all take note of the courage of our seniors and others confronting severe limitations as they pursue each day with confidence that all human life is holy and all human works can be spirit-filled. Let us resolve to emulate their example of faith. The gift of the Christ Child demands no less from us.

Guy Mikkelsen is president and CEO of the Foundation for Senior Living. For more information, visit www.fsl.org.