A Love that Felt

On this fourth week of Advent we light the candle of Love.

The Christmas season brings out so many “loves” in people. They’ll exclaim: “I love that Christmas carol!” or “I can’t wait to make those sugar cookies, I just love that recipe,” or “I love the smell of Christmas trees, don’t you?” or “Look at that street, I love all those lights!”

We love the sounds, the tastes, the smells, the sights... but what about our fifth sense? We don’t often talk about the “touch” of Christmas. It’s really better to think of it in terms of “feeling.” So as you take stock of your own five senses, stop for a minute and think.

It is that fifth sense that captures the true essence of Advent: His coming. For the very first time God, in human terms, felt. He felt pain as he was squeezed from Mary’s blessed but very young womb. He probably felt discomfort as he was placed on an itchy bed of straw. He felt the warmth of His mother’s embrace. And for first time, He felt hunger and thirst.

But Jesus, the Son, also felt the overwhelming LOVE of the Father, the radiant stream of light from the star, the simple homage of the shepherds, and the extravagant worship of the Magi.

Before being born into this broken and dark world, Jesus had perfect communion with the Father and Spirit. He didn’t need the binding of human form in order to experience God’s Love. Yet in doing so, He embodied Love for us. Through His birth God demonstrated an unconditional love towards mankind. In life He showed a love of justice and peace. Through His death God revealed a love of ultimate sacrifice. And with His resurrection, a love of pure redemption.

So when we think on all the sounds, tastes, smells, and sights of Christmas, don’t forgot to ponder the “feeling” of Christmas: When Love came down in human form.