X1 - The Manager

Baby Jesus - When Jesus was born over 2,000 years ago, his mother, Mary laid him in a manger. (Lk 2:7). An angel told the shepherds that they would find their newborn Messiah and Lord “lying in a manger” (Lk 2:12). A manger is a feeding trough. The word “manger” comes from the Latin word manducare which means “to eat.” Jesus is sustenance for us. He is food for our souls. Jesus feeds us with his Word and Self, his Gospel and Holy Communion. Jesus wants us to consume him so he can be the fabric of our being. The infant in the feeding trough lying on the hay is the Bread of Life (Jn 6:35), the true bread come down from heaven, and whoever eats this bread will live forever (Jn 6:51).

The lamb is frequently used to represent Christ. Jesus is the “Lamb of God/Agnus Dei”- who was sacrificed for us.  “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!”  (John 1:29) The Paschal Lamb is the lamb sacrificed during the Jewish Passover. Jewish Passover tradition is to sacrifice a lamb to God and eat it, but since Jesus died for all of us on the cross about 2023 years ago, He changed everything! Now, in remembrance of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we consume the ultimate sacrifice, The Lamb of God, The Body of Christ.