"Awake, mankind! For your sake God has become man. Awake, you who sleep, rise up from the dead, and Christ will enlighten you. I tell you again: for your sake, God became man. You would have suffered eternal death, had he not been born in time. Never would you have been freed from sinful flesh, had he not taken on himself the likeness of sinful flesh. You would have suffered everlasting unhappiness, had it not been for this mercy. You would never have returned to life, had he not shared your death. You would have been lost if he had not hastened ‘to your aid. You would have perished, had he not come." (St Augustine) The mystery of the importance of Jesus' birth! This mystery is summed up with the one word, Love. As we read in John 3:16: "God so loved the world that he gave us his only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."  The mysterious love of God has become visible and manifested in the mystery of the Word becoming " flesh and dwelling among us." The only adequate response on our part is acceptance and love.