The time came for her to have her child.

“While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.” (LK 2: 6-7)

The time came for Elisabeth, and now “the time came for Our Lady to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son.” And this is the most important moment in the history of humankind—God becomes human. At this moment, whatever is human was accepted by God’s nature and was sanctified. Our love and gestures, marriages, and our children, friends, and neighbors—all kinds of natural relationships become special, full of grace and dignity. Our rituals, so normal and natural, can bring more love than we can imagine because our bodies and nature can communicate the love we received from God.

“I proclaim to you good news of great joy: today a Savior is born for us, Christ the Lord.” (Gospel Acclamation)