Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity

The Church teaches that Jesus Christ, true God and true man, possesses two distinct wills—one divine and one human—cooperating in the work of our salvation. This mystery of the Incarnation reveals the wonderful union of divine and human natures in the one person of the Word. In Jesus’ human body, we see our God made visible, and holy images of Christ may rightly be honored because the believer venerates the person depicted. Families can find comfort in knowing that Christ’s Sacred Heart loves each of us personally and is a chief sign of the love with which the divine Redeemer loves the Father and every human being. Jesus, the one and only mediator between God and men, remains the perfect union of the divine and human in one divine person.

In the Catechism, the petition "Lead us not into temptation" emphasizes our need for God's guidance to resist the allure of sin and the importance of discernment in our spiritual battles. It teaches that while God does not tempt us, we must be vigilant against the Evil One, who seeks to lead us astray. This prayer not only requests protection from temptation but also reinforces our communal bond as the Church, as we seek deliverance from evil together. As families, we can apply this by fostering a spirit of vigilance and prayer, supporting one another in the face of temptation, and recognizing the strength found in our faith and the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

The Our Father beautifully gathers our relationship with God, first directing us to the Father’s glory: the sanctification of his name, the coming of his Kingdom, and the fulfillment of his will. As we bring him our needs, both earthly and spiritual, we express filial trust in our heavenly Father, asking to be nourished, healed of sin, and strengthened in the struggle of good over evil. Each petition invites us to seek unity with the will of God’s Son, to receive God’s mercy by learning to forgive our enemies, and to remain watchful and persevering against temptation. Prayed in communion with our brethren, the Our Father roots us in Christ’s victory over evil and leads us to answer its petitions with a wholehearted “Amen”: “So be it.”