Have you ever paused and wondered about the patience of God? He could, after all, be a very cruel and vindictive God, sending down lightning bolts upon every sinner whenever they turn away from him.
Instead, God waits and gives us every opportunity to turn back to him and to lead a life of holiness.
Christmas is one of those reminders that highlights the patience God has with us and with all of humanity. Prior to the Incarnation, the world was in a whole heap of trouble. Even many of God's chosen people were disobedient and were leading lives of sin.
When God could have thrown his hands up and destroyed the earth and its filth, he came to us as a little baby.
God's infinite patience
This spiritual truth is highlighted in a letter to Diognetus that is featured in the Church's Office of Readings during Advent:
When our wickedness had reached its culmination, it became clear that retribution was at hand in the shape of suffering and death. The time came then for God to make known his kindness and power (how immeasurable is God’s generosity and love!). He did not show hatred for us or reject us or take vengeance; instead, he was patient with us, bore with us, and in compassion took our sins upon himself.
If we were in God's seat, would we have such compassion and love upon our children, who continually turn away from us?
What God did defied all earthly expectations:
[H]e gave his own Son as the price of our redemption, the holy one to redeem the wicked, the sinless one to redeem sinners, the just one to redeem the unjust, the incorruptible one to redeem the corruptible, the immortal one to redeem mortals. For what else could have covered our sins but his sinlessness? Where else could we, wicked and sinful as we were, have found the means of holiness except in the Son of God alone?
The next time we see a Christmas Nativity scene, we should look with awe and wonder at God, who did not "smite" us, but became little, defenseless, in order to sanctify the whole world.
It doesn't make sense from our point of view, but that is truly good news. God has his ways, and his mode of operation is to pour out his love upon us.
