December 25, 2025 The Nativity of the Lord
Daily Readings: Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18
Children of God: The first recorded Christmas celebration in the Philippines took place in 1565 at Fort San Pedro in Cebu. It was organized by the Spanish missionaries and soldiers who had just established the first Catholic settlement in the country. It was not grand, but it was filled with meaning. After years of travel and hardship, they gathered in the small fort to celebrate the birth of Christ with joy and thanksgiving. That first Christmas in the Philippines marked not only the coming of the Gospel to Asia’s first Christian nation but also a reminder that God had entered our story—our land, our culture, our history. The message was clear then as it is now: God is with us, even in humble beginnings.
Every Christmas time, hear one of the most profound declarations in all of Scripture: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The eternal Word, who was with God and was God from the beginning, took on our humanity and entered our world. This is the heart of Christmas: the mystery of a God who does not stay distant in heaven but chooses to live among His people. He walks with us in our struggles, weeps with us in our pain, and rejoices with us in our joys.
This truth changes everything. God is not an idea to be studied or a power to be feared. He is a presence to be loved. When the Word became flesh, He gave our lives new dignity. Every home, every street, and every person became capable of reflecting His divine light. As John says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5). No matter how dark our times may seem, the light of Christ continues to shine.
Just as that first Christmas brought faith to a small community that later grew into a nation of believers, God continues to plant His presence in our hearts today. Each time we show kindness, forgive others, or bring hope to someone in despair, we make God visible once again in our world. The Incarnation is not just a past event, it continues whenever love takes flesh in us.
Children of God: The Word has become flesh and remains among us. Let us welcome Him not only in our churches but in our homes, our work, and our relationships. May the light of Christ dwell in us so that others may feel His presence through our love.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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