"There are two births of Christ, one unto the world in Bethlehem; the other in the soul, when it is spiritually reborn. Men think of the former much more than the later, and celebrate it every year; but the spiritual Bethlehem is equally momentous. . . . It was the second birth that Saint Paul insisted on when he wrote from prison to his beloved people, the Ephesians, asking that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith and that they be rooted and grounded in love. This is the second Bethlehem, or the personal relationship of the individual heart to the Lord Christ.” – Ven. Fulton Sheen

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus in the world for our sake, we need to celebrate his rebirth in us in Baptism. Hopefully, he is still within us, as we continue to share in his own divine life. He came in time in Bethlehem to give his life for us on the cross, so that we can share his life eternally. If he had not come, we would not share in his divine life now and eternally. As we prepare to celebrate his birth in time, we need also to prepare to celebrate his birth on a specific date in my life. With gratitude in our hearts we acknowledge his birth in Bethlehem and his birth in me in baptism. Both days are momentous for us. In a sense, just as his birth was necessary, so our rebirth in baptism is more important than our human birth.