Father Chas Canoy
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In this Christmas Day homily for the Nativity of the Lord, Father Chas Canoy proclaims the enduring wonder of Christ’s birth and its meaning for daily Christian life. Preached on December 25, 2025, at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, the homily emphasizes God’s nearness in the Incarnation and invites the faithful to respond with gratitude, trust, and renewed commitment to live as bearers of Christ’s light in the world.
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Father Chas Canoy:
It’s been a wonderful Christmas thus far. Did you know that there are four sets of readings just for Christmas? Four sets of readings.
So it began last night. This place was packed because the bishop was here to bless this wonderful image. Both this place and St. Joseph—the overflow—were full. And it was a beautiful sight to see. That had one set of readings. Then Father Randy led Midnight Mass. We had the 7 o’clock, of course—that was another vigil Mass. But then at 12 o’clock, midnight, we had another set of readings for that Midnight Mass.
And then the Church offers another set of readings at Mass at dawn, where it focuses on Jesus as the light of the world that has come into the darkness of the world and provided light. And today—Mass during the day, 10 a.m., 8 a.m. By the way, if you ever get a chance, I challenge you to go to a different Christmas Mass each year. And 8 o’clock is unique in the sense that it’s dark when you first get in here, and then as the sun rises, all these stained glass windows come to life. So that’s an awesome part of 8 a.m. Each one has its own magic, so to speak.
And 10 a.m., Mass during the day, the focus of the readings comes into the Incarnation—the Incarnation where God has become man. God has become one of us. That Church Father said, “God has become man so that man might become God.” That’s the truth that today’s readings want to give to us.
See, Adam messed up. He wanted to become God without God. But the destiny that God had for us was to divinize humanity, to bring humanity and unite it in himself. And so that’s what happened with Jesus Christ. In his very person, the human race is divinized. He’s the new Adam. And it was through obedience to the Father that humanity was divinized. But when man tries to usurp God’s position and take it for himself, that’s when he separates himself from God.
But Jesus, in obedience to the Father—God the Son from all eternity, the second Person of the Trinity—enters into his own creation and becomes one of us. In the flesh, in the womb of Mary. And we celebrate at Christmas the first time that we were able to see the light of the world—to see that God had indeed become man. And God the Son reveals the face of God the Father.
And he comes to us as a little child—an innocent little child. So that reveals that God is love, because within love there is vulnerability. And so that beautiful truth—that God became man so that we might become God—and as the New Testament reminds us, that Jesus became poor so that we might become rich. That’s the beautiful mystery of Christmas.
And it’s in this—the messiness of our lives, the poverty of our lives—that I kind of want to hone in on today. Because that first Christmas was messy. The Holy Family was far from home, having traveled to Bethlehem when it was time for Jesus’ birth. They couldn’t find anywhere to lay their heads. They lacked basic human needs: food, shelter, warmth, light. The light of the world was within Mary’s womb, and yet it was utter darkness—trying to light up a cave that served as a stable, the only place they could find.
We just read in the readings how his own people rejected him, and this was a manifestation of that rejection. Right from the very beginning, there was no room for them in the inn. And so, cast there with the animals—you can imagine the stench. Notice, friends, that the arrival of the Savior didn’t improve the material conditions of Joseph and Mary. It didn’t make life easier for them.
Sometimes we get this message in the prosperity gospel that having Jesus in your life will change your life toward prosperity. Well, if it didn’t happen for Joseph and Mary, there’s a reason why Jesus says, “Unless you take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of me.” There’s a mission to be had, a mission to accomplish, before all things are made right.
So notice that the material conditions of Joseph and Mary did not improve. If we were in their shoes, maybe we’d be tempted to think, “Hey, this is God’s Son. We were told that by the angel—both to Mary and to Joseph.” You’d think God would do something to make the conditions of his arrival at least comfortable, if not regal and royal. But that wasn’t the case.
And yet, despite the conditions, it was a joyful night. It was a silent night. It was a holy night—because Jesus was there. It was one of great delight because amidst all that messiness, Jesus was there. Joseph and Mary couldn’t be happier. Why? Because Jesus was there. His presence makes all the difference in our lives.
So God comes to us in a way that we would not mistake or confuse the deep and abiding joy and peace he brings on that holy night as somehow dependent on external circumstances. Let me repeat that: God comes to us in circumstances by which we would not mistake or confuse that the deep and abiding joy of that holy night was somehow dependent on external circumstances.
Sometimes we think that in order for me to be happy, these external circumstances have to be going my way. But the deep and abiding joy and peace of that holy night was for one reason: Jesus was there.
So maybe the external circumstances of your life right now have been the best they’ve ever been. Maybe healing has been brought to your family. Maybe you’ve met someone you really connect with. Or maybe this Christmas the external circumstances have been the worst they’ve been. Maybe you’ve lost a loved one. Maybe you’re going through heartache.
Either way, what God offers us on that holy night, that first Christmas, is something that transcends the ebbs and flows of life. God offers us the very gift of himself—and with that, the confidence that no matter what happens in life, you’re not alone. The one who created the universe, who has power over all things, who holds the destiny of all things in the palm of his hand forever, is with you and is for you.
And one of the big lessons of Bethlehem is that we have a God who does not hesitate to enter into our messiness. And notice that the Savior doesn’t come first and foremost to fix us or tidy up the mess. That’s not what he does. God comes first to simply be with us—to love us. He is Emmanuel: God is with us.
That truth needs to be embedded in our hearts first. Before Jesus grows up and fulfills the Father’s plan of salvation, before he makes all things right, he first wants to simply be one of us—so that we can say, “Yeah, he’s one of us.”
He simply wants to be with us in such a way that, ironically, he needs you. He wants you. Just like he needed Joseph and Mary. He can’t feed himself as a little babe. And whatever you provide in your poverty and your messiness is enough for him. It’s enough for him.
Because what he wants from you is not ultimately the things you can provide or the things you can do for him. He just wants you. He wants your heart—just like Mary’s was and Joseph’s was. He wants your heart beating right next to his Sacred Heart that beats for you.
And he wants you to know that now, in this very sacred mystery we are celebrating, he wants your heart. He wants you to feel his heart beating next to your heart. And that’s why he comes to us as a child.
So draw close to him now. At this very Mass, offer him your heart this Christmas, as he offers you his.