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The Blessed Nativity has many spiritual meanings which can be summaraized into two.

The first meaning is the love of God towards man. God, out of His great love, descended to mankind and dwelt among us in order to save us. He became the Son of Man to enable us to become sons of God. He was born in the flesh to enable us to be born in the spirit. The birth of Christ sanctified all of humanity. When Jesus made Himself one with our nature, He saved our nature. When He put on Himself our bodies (incarnated), He sanctified our bodies. The birth of Christ was the beginning of a true practical love, that Love Who was incarnated for us, carried our sins, and forgave us with his pure Blood, to present us to please the Heavenly Father.

The birth of Christ was the reconciliation between God and man. St. Jacob of Sarug said, "There was enmity between God and mand, and when man failed to be reconciled with God, God descended to man." Therefore, the birth of Christ was the joy and peace of the whole world. We rejoice with the watching shepherds and the worshipping wise men, for God loved us. We love Him because He first loved us. We sing with St. Mary, "My spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour." (Luke 1:47)

The second meaning is that God is with us, for Emmanuel is interpreted as "God is with us." He is with us always even to the end of age. (Matt.28:20) He is living with in a real sense, not as a feeling or an imagination. By the incarnation we have become one with Him. "That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they may also be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me." (John 17:21) This is what assures us that the world cannot take away from us peace and joy which Christ has granted us.

Let us not forget these spiritual meanings. Let them guide our lives, and be a living part in us. The birth of Christ is no a story which happened in the past, but a living event. We should love others as God loved us. We should stretch our our hands to everyone. We should prove, by our deeds, and not only words, that we live in the love of Christ, Who loved all people equally and Who carried all in His heart.