Can you believe all of this?

Truth Exists. The Incarnation Happened.
—Warren H. Carroll

There are so many bad things happening all over the world, including inside the Church.

So it has always been.

Once, very long ago, a Pope warmed himself by a fire and denied he even knew Jesus. Every bishop, save one, ran away.

What were they talking about three days later I wonder? Imagine the disciples on the road to Emmaus returning and speaking to the other disciples.

“…So, then Peter starts cursing and swearing that he even didn’t even know Jesus. Some ‘Rock’ right?”

“Yeah, like when he sunk like a ‘rock’ after trying to walk on water!”

“John mentioned that he and Peter ran to the tomb. Yeah, I bet. Those apostles sure did run fast on Good Friday!”

“Wait. Sorry. Why are you all talking about Peter and the apostles!?! Didn’t you just say that He is…risen!?”

“I mean, yeah sure, but did I tell you this one? ‘As a swordsman, Peter makes a great fishermen!’”

“Guys! You’re saying Jesus met you on the road, and you recognized Him in the breaking of the bread? Like at the last supper when He said, ‘This is My Body.’ You’re saying that happened?! You’re saying, wait, you’re saying, that we can ‘Take and eat?’ He really meant it!? And He is risen!?! What we have waited thousands of years for has happened! The Incarnation happened!”

No doubt we would see ourselves as the final speaker. Indeed, it’s comical that any of the disciples could be focused on anything other than the Resurrection. How could anyone fail to be in awe at the fact that Truth exists? How could we fail to be in awe at the fact that the Incarnation happened? And yet, in so much of Catholic Twitter, and Catholic Facebook, and Catholic YouTube, and Catholics blogs, millions of words are being spent on the latest news. Is this news important? Yes, but woe to us if we believe that the “Good News” is old news. The Incarnation happened, and that is as breathtaking as it was 2000 years ago.

Christmas is coming. And “hail and blessed be the hour and moment In which the Son of God was born Of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold.” How quickly we say these words, and then effortlessly scroll to read about the latest Church scandal.

My advice: Say a prayer for the men who may be warming themselves by a fire and saying, ‘Truly I do not know the man!’ Then, say a prayer for yourself that you truly will know the Man. For each one of us, there will come a day when the Lord will turn and look at us. Be wary you are not looking into the charcoal fire when He passes by, and you not catch His gaze.

“Lift up your eyes on high…”

The Christ child was only found that night by those who lifted up their eyes to the heavens. There were others that night who were distracted by the fires of the earth, and thereby missed the heavenly fire in the sky, resting over a small stable.

Lift up your eyes.

Christmas is coming.

Truth exists. The Incarnation happened.

Do not be distracted by the ugliness at your feet, when there is a star directly overhead.

We are all moved by beauty or by ugliness, and we decide which. For in the end, we all walk through the world and exclaim to each other, “Wow. Can you believe all of this?” Only, be sure that your eyes are gazing in the right direction when you do.