God chose to become one of us, letting his human life be shaped by the time and place in which he was born. In the same way our lives are shaped by the world around us. But because of the incarnation, the changes are wrapped in an awareness of eternity, of something beyond us and greater than us, but still intimately part of us. In the midst of all the stress and busyness of the season, this truth reminds us that the true gift of Christmas is something money can’t buy.
— from The Peace of Christmas: Quiet Reflections from Pope Francis by Diane M. Houdek
