The birth in the manger recalls the words of the prophet Isaiah, in which we hear the deep longing of God for His beloved people: "The ass knows its owner; and the donkey knows the anger of its lord; but Israel has not known me; my people has not understood me" (Is 1:3). In Luke's gospel, when the shepherds come to the manger and rejoice over their savior, Luke is telling us that in the person of Jesus Israel has begun to find the manger of its Lord.
And by laying the baby Jesus in a manger--a feeding trough--the gospel of Luke also reminds us that Jesus comes as food for a spiritually hungry world. God gives us God's own self, that we might be nourished and have life to the full.
We in today's world are as hungry for meaning and fullness of life as were the shepherds abiding in the fields, more than 2000 years ago. May this Christmas help to nurture your spirit and bring you deep well-being and love.
