Embracing family
Each Christmas, we gather around the Nativity and contemplate the mystery of God made flesh. We imagine the Holy Family in that humble stable — the newborn Christ wrapped in a simple cloth, Mary joyful but exhausted, and Joseph watchful and protective. It is a scene of tenderness and vulnerability, and a reminder that God chose to enter the world not in strength, but in need.
This vulnerability is the heart of Christmas. Scripture reminds us of Christ’s humble presence in everyone, especially those in need, when he says: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Mt 25:40). Christ is not only the child once born in Bethlehem; he is continually born in the suffering, the hungry, the frightened and the forgotten in our communities.
A recent viral TikTok video brought this Gospel truth into sharp focus. In it, Nikalie Monroe, conducting a social experiment, called 42 religious organizations and said she had run out of baby formula. She reached out to churches, temples and mosques — places that proclaim compassion and love of neighbor.
Only nine offered help!
This story is not meant to shame any faith community or deny the generous service many churches already give. Yet the experiment should make us pause. In her moment of need, this young mother was searching for Christ’s people — yet often found voicemails, closed doors or referral loops.
Her experience is a modern parable that becomes a reckoning for each of us and for our parishes. If Mary and Joseph knocked on our parish door today — tired, anxious, with a hungry infant — would they find help? If the infant Jesus cried out for milk in the night, would any of us answer?
These are the questions Jesus poses in Matthew 25 when he identifies himself with the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and imprisoned. He does not say we might meet him among those who struggle. He says we will.
Christmas teaches the same truth: God is born not in comfort, but in need.
Thus, as we kneel before the manger this year, we are called to a deeper reflection. What would Jesus do when he sees someone in need? More challenging still, what will I do?
If a mother called us personally, desperate for formula, would we help? Would we go to the store? Would we offer prayers but take no action? Would we hesitate or hope someone else would step in?
What about our parish? If someone walked into our office hungry, houseless or mentally distressed, what would happen? Would they be treated with dignity and connected to real resources?
If the office were closed, would they reach someone on the phone, or would it go to voicemail? Would the call be promptly returned with help offered? Are our ministries prepared for urgent human need, or mostly for planned programs?
These questions may feel uncomfortable, but the Incarnation itself is uncomfortable. The Almighty became a child; the King embraced poverty; the Creator chose dependence. Christ comes to us in the needy, and calls us to love him in action, not only in prayer.
Grace urges us toward conversion — toward small changes that prepare room in the inn of our hearts. We might set aside a small fund for spontaneous needs. We might choose to look directly — not away — when encountering someone houseless or mentally ill. We might ask our parish, “How do we respond to emergencies, and how can I help strengthen that?”
Parishes can also take practical steps: establishing emergency assistance funds, training volunteers, partnering with shelters or pregnancy centers, and adopting a true “e komo mai” mentality — ensuring that anyone seeking help receives dignity, compassion and a real next step. They must know that they are welcome in our parish.
Christ is born today — in the poor, the houseless, the lonely, the elderly, the sick, the addicted, the prisoner and the struggling young mother on the phone. If we are not ready to recognize him, then Christmas becomes our invitation to change.
This season, as we gaze upon the Christ Child, let us adore him in the manger and welcome him as he appears now: fragile, needy, human. May our hearts and our parishes be places where every person seeking help finds a welcoming presence and tangible support. May we be truly ready to recognize Christ born in each person, especially the most vulnerable.
Questions or prayer requests? Please email Sarah and David at Success@EmbraceFamilyLearning.com. We would be honored to lift you in prayer and respond.