Each year, within every cycle of time, it comes round again: the radical vulnerability of God, willingly chosen out of desire for intimacy with a complicated, hard-headed and desperately tender world.

It is fitting to remember this Christmas that God's greatest love story began with two people (a lot like you and me) who chose to set aside their reputations, their future, possibly even their own safety -- and simply trust in each other.

VATICAN CITY -- Here is the official Vatican English translation of the "Urbi et Orbi" Christmas Day message read in Italian by Pope Benedict XVI Tues...

From Myanmar to Lithuania, and Jerusalem to Vatican City, the faithful gathered today in churches around the world to celebrate the birth of Jesus Chr...

* Smiles return for some; others not in the holiday mood * "Doesn't feel like Christmas," woman says * Priest sees reaso...

Advent should be the season for us to reflect, not just on the tenderness of the manger scene, but of what that scene represents below the surface. It should push us to understand that God became incarnate in the world of the poor and oppressed and shared intimately in that reality.

Jesus showed us that there are times when we must stand up and express truth to power in constructive, meaningful, unyielding ways despite the possible consequences. Just as God is righteously angered over oppression and injustice, so should we be.

Whereas in Christmases of the past, the day came and went amid gift giving, caroling and holiday parties, each rushed to be included before December's end, perhaps this year might be the occasion to slow down and ponder that which stands in the background of this hectic time of year.

The danger of the Christmas story is that it is so familiar that we can lose the amazing impact of its glorious message in the frenzy that surrounds the event.

Muslims Americans: Go be a part of the joy of the season. But as you send your children to embrace the garbage collectors and adopt neglected families, remind them that we don't celebrate Christmas seeking worldly gain or social acceptance.

Memories embedded with romantic pictures of Jesus' birth are quite impossible to rewrite. Retold by Christmas pageants, reminded by carols and pictures replenish what we think happened at Jesus' birth. The overall narrative has it right, but the core assumption is so wrong as to miss an essential part of the story.

Christmas is the yearly celebration of the birth of Jesus, but it is truly a gift that we must experience each day. Christmas is a present, not a past.

After the killing of 20 children and those entrusted with their care in Newtown just 11 days before the holiday, how can the yearly celebration of the birth of another child in Bethlehem not be any different?

As disciples of Jesus, we promise to look after the little lambs. How can we fulfill our promises if we do not stand against the powers and principalities that perpetuate this culture of violence?

According to the mystical tradition, Christ is born into the world through each of us. As we open our hearts, he is born into the world. As we choose to forgive, he is born into the world. As we rise to the occasion, he is born into the world.

We're so used to it. The religious observers take it for granted and the Winter Solstice crowd keep dreaming of a White one. But for the struggling believer, the challenge is to recover the shock of it all.

Ancient Christian saints, theologians and evangelists would be horrified that those who claim to stand for tradition have forgotten the most important aspect of it. Jesus Christ was not born that human beings would spend December shopping or saying, "Merry Christmas."

Last year before Christmas I got a Facebook message from my church-going high school sweetheart. Her children were very interested in this question. What follows is my letter to them.

The actual message of Jesus was so urgent that we can not allow the great feast of Christmas, and its preparation in Advent, to be watered down in any way.

Is it an opportunity to meet the surprising around you? Is it an opportunity to reflect on what is most needed in your heart and in the world around you? How are you going to wait for that gift?

How ironic that the announcement of Kate Middleton's pregnancy was made on the second day of Advent! Has the season of Advent been shadowed or enhanced by the news of a modern-day royal birth?

The problem is that Christmas has lost it's shock value. One of the great purposes of Advent is to help us recover that shock.

The Christmas season is, we all know, harried. In our rush to please, our hurry to purchase, many of us will make quick decisions. Like me! Friend me! Poke me! But the Advent season is a time of waiting, expectation, hope.

Christmas can be a very stressful time. It is a frenzied season full of expectations and obligations. It is quite possible that in a season where you should experience peace and joy you may miss out on all of it.

Because many of us don't celebrate this holiday, the story of the Magi in Matthew 2:1-12 often gets neglected in our Christmas celebrations. But let's take a few minutes today and reconsider this profound story.