Happy Christmas! Of the nine readings of tonight's and today's Eucharistic Celebrations, this year I invite you to focus on the SIGN the Angel gives the Shepherds to identify the newly born Saviour: "a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger" (Lk 2:12). Is this the great revelation of God's military promises? Is this baby the leader who will free God's people from imperialist domination? What resources does he count on? A zealot would ironically comment: "This is a promising guerrilla leader, indeed!" When the wise men from the East arrived in Jerusalem for the first time they looked around for a sign of the newly born King of the Jews. It should be a royal palace, of course! pointing at Herod's Castle, "there it is", they said. Wrong! Upon leaving Herod's home, the star showed them the way and they followed the star until they saw the same sign that the shepherds had verified: a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

So this is the sign; if you cannot see it, then you must change, for the sign will not change. We are at the climax of the History of God's love for us: He has come down to our level, not to any level, but to the lowest human level - sin excluded. Is not this baby the clearest sign of God's love for the human race?