What child is this?

And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them. Luke 2:4-20



On Christmas Eve in 1937, Saint Faustina encountered the Holy Child Jesus:

"When I arrived at Midnight Mass, from the very beginning I steeped myself in deep recollection, during which time I saw the stable of Bethlehem filled with great radiance. The Blessed Virgin, all lost in the deepest of love, was wrapping Jesus in swaddling clothes, but Saint Joseph was still asleep. Only after the Mother of God put Jesus in the manger did the light of God awaken Joseph, who also prayed. But after a while, I was left alone with the Infant Jesus who stretched out His little hands to me, and I understood that I was to take Him in my arms. Jesus pressed His head against my heart and gave me to know, by His profound gaze, how good He found it to be next to my heart." (Diary of Saint Faustina, 1442)

Jesus brought the message of Divine Mercy to Saint Faustina. She loved Christmas, the birth of Jesus, the promised Messiah. In the Christmas passages in the Diary, Jesus told her that her heart was His delight and His resting place. These words of love from Jesus must have been the greatest gift Saint Faustina could have ever received. She also had beautiful visions of Jesus as a small child during Christmas. On Christmas Day, 1934 during Midnight Mass, the child Jesus appeared on the Altar dressed in a white pinafore. She described Him as “incomparably beautiful” and said “the whole time the Infant kept looking at everyone, stretching out His little hands”. (Diary 347) Saint Faustina also saw Mary holding her child during this Mass, which she told Saint Faustina was the “secret of her happiness”. (Diary 346)

Learning to trust in Jesus is the heart of devotion to Divine Mercy. The story of Christmas draws us towards complete trust in God. This Christmas season, let us carry Saint Faustina’s vision of the child Jesus in our hearts. Let us be inspired by God’s message of hope in the story of Christmas. Let us see the baby Jesus stretching our His hands to touch us and all those we pray for.