Preparing for Christmas spiritually is always a challenge. The noise of the secular holiday season, the distractions that inevitably challenge us every day, can be real obstacles! However, when we consider how much Christmas really means to our lives, to who we are as men and women, we can be inspired to truly prioritize Advent as a time to prepare our hearts.
Here’s what theologian Dr. Scott Hahn (speaking at the Defending the Faith, Applied Biblical Studies and St. John Bosco conferences) has to tell us about what Christmas is actually all about:
“The reality of Christmas, for me, is not primarily what I learned at seminary or in the research I slogged through in pursuit of a doctorate. Christmas is, for me, the joy and love that passed between a young woman and the child who had been placed in her arms.
That child was Jesus, and in time he made way for another child who needed love—and that child was you—and that child was me. He grew and redeemed us so that he could welcome us into the life he lived here on earth. He welcomed us into the very family he created for himself.
Jesus did not come into this world alone. He came into this world by way of a family, and brought us salvation so that we could share membership in the family of God. That’s the very meaning of salvation and the meaning of Christmas: “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God” (John 1:12)—God’s sons and daughters, members of his family. If we don’t understand Christmas, then we don’t really understand what Jesus did when he saved us” (Joy to the World, pgs. 6-7).
Come, grow in love and understanding of our beloved position as children of God by joining us at the Steubenville Conferences this summer. Register today and take advantage of the Early Bird discount!