Welcome back to the Jesse Tree on the Catholic Sprouts podcast.

Today is Christmas.

My dear friends, the wait is over.

The ancient Israelites waited centuries to welcome the Messiah, and he came.

In the fullness of time, he came. They had looked for a warrior king, and that is

exactly who arrived. Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man, came to fight the forces of sin and death

on our behalf so that we might be fully reunited with God our father once more.

This humble child, born in a cave, with livestock, would conquer evil and unite us with himself.

It's Christmas. He has come, rejoice, and listen to the story

of the birth of Jesus found in Luke's Gospel. Luke 2, 8 through 12, 15 through 17. In that region,

there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock

by night.

Then an angel of a Lord stood before them, and the glory of a Lord shone around them, and

they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, do not be afraid, for see, I am bringing you good news of great

joy for all the people. To you is born this day in the

city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you. You will find a child

wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the

heavenly host, praising God and saying,

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherd said to one another,

Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.

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