December 25 : Nativity of the Lord

The first evidence of the celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord dates back to the year 336. Soon after, in the Eastern Church, the Christmas feast of the Epiphany began to be celebrated on the 6th of January. The date was connected to the civil pagan festival of the birth of the invincible sun (Natale Solis Invicti), introduced by the Emperor Aurelian in 274 and is celebrated on 25th December. Since the fourth century, we observe the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord on December 25. The Nativity tells the story of Jesus’s birth in Bethlehem. Because there was no room at any of the inns due to the census, Jesus, the savior of the world, was born in a stable. After Jesus’s birth, Angels proclaimed him as a savior for all, and shepherds went to the stable to adore him. The Nativity of Jesus celebrates the incarnation of God, which means that he came to earth to live as a man and undo the damage caused by the fall of the first man, Adam. Christmas serves as a reminder that God continues to love us, no matter what we do or who we are. It is not about acting the right way, or always doing the right thing. God’s love is constant. It is unconditional.