“The child lept in her womb.” Moms have a unique insight into this miracle of Christmas. Let’s thank God that some young couples bravely welcome children these days. Those of us who are not at that time of life, need to help those who could use a little help. It’s a very Christmasy thing to do. 

The reading from Hebrews 10 draws us into the high ideals of living our faith too. Although St Paul reminds his Jewish friends that God is not so much pleased with holocausts, we are supposed to pray, “Here I am, coming to obey your will.” On this, the Sunday before Christmas, I wish to encourage as many people as possible to invite, bribe or otherwise fenagle loved ones to come to Christmas Mass who don’t usually go to church. For such people, attending Mass is primarily seen as a favor to the one who invited them. For them, it feels like a sacrifice of their precious time and energy. So, even if their attendance isn’t driven by the higher virtue of the love of God made present in the Eucharist, at least they are offering a sacrifice in His name. 

This is where Hebrews 10 comes in. Look closely at what St Paul says. “This will was for us to be made holy…” Whose will is St Paul talking about? God’s will for us of course. What is His ultimate will for us? To obey His laws, not out of mere obedience but out of love. We need to see there is a stark difference between “just obeying laws” and “doing another’s will out of true love”. In other words, there is a stark difference between going to church out of obedience to a friend, or even to God and wanting to run to Mass out of a love for the one you encounter there. St Paul knows this distinction all too well. Yet, he masterfully connects our feeble acts of obedience to His commandments and what truly is the highest act of love humanly possible. 

What’s the highest act of love humanly possible? To lay down your life for your friends of course. St Paul uses the word katargeō when he says, “God is abolishing the first sort to replace it with the second.” It can seem like obedience is being abolished to make room for love. But katargeō also means, “setting aside” or “make room for” as in “step aside from something lower to make room for something or someone higher”. You must be blind as a bat not to see that when Jesus offers His life on the cross out of obedience He is at one and the same time showing us an example of obedience and an example of ultimate love. 

“Works matter”. This theme is so important for our reluctant friends who maybe “dragged” to church because they always feel that the sacrifice that going to church requires isn’t worth the effort. Everyone knows the meaning of sacrifice. Every time we do something we don’t want to do, like going to work or doing the laundry, we experience sacrifice. But there’s a slight chance that in going to church they will see what St Paul saw. God came to earth to die for our salvation. Knowing this, looking at the manger should move us to tears.