One Christmas Eve a man sat in silence by his open fire mulling over the meaning of Christmas. “There is no point to a God who became human,” he mused. “Why would an all-powerful God want to share life with the likes of us? And even if he did, why would God choose to be born in a stable? No way! The whole thing is absurd! I’m sure that if God really wanted to come down to earth, he would have chosen some other way.” – Suddenly, the man was roused from his thoughts by a strange sound outside. He rushed to the window, looked out and saw a gaggle of snow geese frantically honking and flapping their wings amid the deep snow and freezing cold. They seemed dazed and confused… exhausted, they had dropped out of a larger flock migrating south. Moved by compassion the man went outside and tried to “shoo” the shivering geese into the shelter of his garage, but the more he “shooed,” the more the geese panicked. “If only they realized I’m trying to save them,” he thought. “How can I make them understand my concern for their well-being?” Suddenly a thought came to him: “If, just for a minute, I could become one of them, if I could become a snow goose and communicate with them in their own language, then they’d know what I’m trying to do.” – In a flash of inspiration, he remembered it was Christmas Eve and a smile crossed his face as he realised the Christmas story no longer seemed absurd. He visualized an ordinary-looking infant lying in a manger in a stable in Bethlehem. He understood the answer to his Christmas problem: God became one-like-us to tell us, in ways we can understand, that he loves us and is concerned about our welfare… our eternal well-being. – The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

Source: Brian Cavanaugh, 1994, Fresh Packet of Sower’s Seeds, New Jersey: Paulist Press, p.63-64

One Christmas Eve a man sat in silence by his open fire mulling over the meaning of Christmas. “There is no point to a God who became human,” he mused. “Why would an all-powerful God want to share life with the likes of us? And even if he did, why would God choose to be born in a stable? No way! The whole thing is absurd! I’m sure that if God really wanted to come down to earth, he would have chosen some other way.” – Suddenly, the man was roused from his thoughts by a strange sound outside. He rushed to the window, looked out and saw a gaggle of snow geese frantically honking and flapping their wings amid the deep snow and freezing cold. They seemed dazed and confused… exhausted, they had dropped out of a larger flock migrating south. Moved by compassion the man went outside and tried to “shoo” the shivering geese into the shelter of his garage, but the more he “shooed,” the more the geese panicked. “If only they realized I’m trying to save them,” he thought. “How can I make them understand my concern for their well-being?” Suddenly a thought came to him: “If, just for a minute, I could become one of them, if I could become a snow goose and communicate with them in their own language, then they’d know what I’m trying to do.” – In a flash of inspiration, he remembered it was Christmas Eve and a smile crossed his face as he realised the Christmas story no longer seemed absurd. He visualized an ordinary-looking infant lying in a manger in a stable in Bethlehem. He understood the answer to his Christmas problem: God became one-like-us to tell us, in ways we can understand, that he loves us and is concerned about our welfare… our eternal well-being. – The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

Source: Brian Cavanaugh, 1994, Fresh Packet of Sower’s Seeds, New Jersey: Paulist Press, p.63-64