There is not just one “Christmas Story:” Matthew recounts Joseph’s dilemma, the arrival of the wise men, and the threat of Herod, while Luke recounts the annunciation to Mary, the infant Jesus being placed in a manger, and the shepherds coming to see Him. Keeping these stories separate in our minds helps us understand the spiritual significance of each one: Matthew has a lot to say about how we receive the Lord in our minds through truth, faith, and understanding. Luke on the other hand tells us more about how we receive the Lord in our hearts, in goodness, charity, and our will. On Christmas Day we will explore how Luke can help us be more accepting, trusting, and loving in how we receive the Lord.

We often talk about "The Christmas Story" as if it were one contained story. But really there are two: one in the Gospel of Matthew, the other in the Gospel of Luke. In the first, the danger of Herod looms large, Joseph has to work hard to keep the family safe, and wise men from the East bring gifts. In the second, Mary is central, there is no room for them in the inn, and shepherds come to adore the little infant. These two different versions tell us a lot about the two distinct ways we receive the Lord into our own lives.

We often talk about "The Christmas Story" as if it were one contained story. But really there are two: one in the Gospel of Matthew, the other in the Gospel of Luke. In the first, the danger of Herod looms large, Joseph has to work hard to keep the family safe, and wise men from the East bring gifts. In the second, Mary is central, there is no room for them in the inn, and shepherds come to adore the little infant. These two different versions tell us a lot about the two distinct ways we receive the Lord into our own lives.

The Christmas story begins with Zacharias receiving the astonishing news that his elderly, barren wife would give birth to a special child. Yet in the moment of his prayers being answered, Zechariah doubted; and so was made mute until the time of the child’s birth. How often do we do the same, doubting just when our prayers might be answered? It’s as if it’s too good to be true, and to protect ourselves from disappointment we refuse to let ourselves give in to false hope. But the Lord does not give false hope: His promises are sure and He brings to pass something greater even then our wildest dreams.

Christmas is a time of joy and happiness, or at least we try to make it so. Singing Christmas songs can be one of those fun ways to celebrate. But what makes the season truly joyful is when we look to the Lord and live His teaching. When we do those two things then the fun of all the other aspects can be deepened and enriched spiritually.

Part of living a good spiritual life is looking for the Truth that will guide you. The problem is that “truth” is a lot harder to come by then we might imagine. Every true thing we know, or think we know, has endless layers that remain obscure to us and countless nuances that are beyond our current comprehension. We never find the Truth itself in all its complexity. In spite of this, and in fact, because of this, the never-ending pursuit of truth is a crucial part of our spiritual growth.

We know that the Lord has created us to love others; but what about ourselves? Can that love also be from the Lord? All of us have needs that must be met but it can be hard to ask for help. We worry about putting a burden on others or opening ourselves up to criticism. Yet the Lord is clear that we are to love ourselves. If we cannot love ourselves enough to get the help that we need, we lose the ability to help others. When we ask for help we are not being selfish, but rather are taking the first steps towards helping others.

Whenever something goes wrong in the world, there seems to be an outpouring of compassion. We almost get excited at the chance to leap into action and help. But as time passes the energy wanes. We can become fatigued; not just fatigued physically, but fatigued emotionally. It is impossible to keep up that initial level of care and energy. Above even the emotional there is the spiritual fatigue: we face exhaustion with ourselves and our own spiritual growth, and can push ourselves to the breaking point. We need to be able to truly address the issues, but to do so in a way that is sustainable.

Religious life is all about resisting sins. But what actually counts as a sin? We have to be able to know what we are looking for if we are going to be able to resist it. Thankfully the Lord gives us guidance in identifying sins, especially through the Ten Commandments. Although there are only Ten, if we look deeper we can find that they guide us to see whatever vice or sin we might be struggling with.