CHRISTMAS DAY HOMILY, Dec.25, 2025
1) STORY
John was a
10-year-old orphan living in a very strict orphanage. All the children had to work long hours each
day weeding in the garden, washing dishes in the kitchen, and cleaning the
rooms. They all looked forward to the
one happy day in the year, Christmas, because they would get a spiritual treat,
an orange, provided they obeyed all the rules. When Christmas came, all waited in line for
the precious gift of an orange. When it
came to John’s turn to get an orange, he was not given an orange as
punishment for breaking a rule during the year. Instead, he was sent up to the dormitory for
the day. While resting on his bed, he
heard footsteps. His friends came to him
and gave him the gift of an orange. He
was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. As
he was thinking how his friends were able to get this extra orange, he noticed
that the outer skin of the orange was broken and each slice of the orange was
carefully placed together. He now knew
that each of his friends gave a slice of his orange to John. This orange was a gift of love to make John
happy on Christmas day.
2) GOSPEL, JOHN
1:1-18
A) GIFT OF LIFE
JESUS CAME TO GIVE US DIVINE LIFE: “What came to be through him was life.”
B) CHILDREN OF
GOD
We read, “To
those who did accept him, he gave power to become children of God.”
3) APPLICATION TO
LIFE
A) THE GIFT OF
DIVINE LIFE
When Jesus gives us the great gift of divine life, there is a profound change in us. It’s like when a sick person regains his health, a poor man becomes rich, a blind man can see, and a prisoner is freed. Jesus gives us the great gift of divine life.
B) CHILDREN OF GO
Jesus gives us
the power to become children of God. As
children of God, God becomes our heavenly father, Jesus becomes our elder
brother, the Holy Spirit becomes our guide, heaven becomes our home, and the
Catholic Church becomes our family. Jesus
makes us children of God.
4) CONCLUSION
Just as John received the gift of an orange at Christmas, we receive the gift of divine life by becoming children of God.
