A detail of a Nativity scene displayed in St. Peter’s Square is seen in an exhibit at the Vatican Dec. 17, 2024. CNS PHOTO/JUSTIN MCLELLAN
Christmas: The triumph of faith, hope, and love
BY DCN. JAY W. VANHOOSIER, OFFICE OF FAITH FORMATION
Not long ago, someone asked me to explain the three theological virtues: faith, hope, and love. I paused, realizing how inseparable they are – three strands of one divine thread woven together by God. Faith gives birth to hope, and both are perfected in love. Nowhere do these virtues shine more clearly than at Christmas. In the manger at Bethlehem, we see faith in Mary and Joseph, hope fulfilled in the coming of the Savior, and love made flesh in the Christ Child. Christmas does not merely teach these virtues; it embodies them.
Faith is God’s gift that allows us to recognize His presence and trust His promises, even when unseen. From this faith springs hope – the confident assurance that God, who began His good work in us, will bring it to completion. Hope anchors us in His steadfast love and sustains us through trial and uncertainty.
Yet faith and hope both find fulfillment in love. When we truly believe in God and trust His promises, our hearts are drawn to love Him and one another. Love is the greatest virtue because it endures beyond this life. In heaven, faith will give way to sight and hope to fulfillment, but love will remain forever. As Saint Paul writes, “So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
These virtues shine most brilliantly at Christmas, the feast of God’s greatest gift to humanity. The birth of Christ is the moment when heaven bends to earth, when the invisible becomes visible, and divine love takes on flesh. In Bethlehem, faith is fulfilled, hope realized, and love revealed.
Faith brought Mary and Joseph to that humble stable. Mary’s faith enabled her to say “yes” to God’s plan, trusting His word without understanding its full unfolding. Joseph’s faith led him to obedience, accepting the mystery and protecting Mary and the child. Through their faith, the promises of the prophets were fulfilled and the Word became flesh.
Hope sustained all who awaited the Messiah – the shepherds watching their flocks, the Magi journeying from afar, and the faithful of Israel longing for redemption. When the angels proclaimed, “Today in the city of David a Savior has been born for you” (Luke 2:11), hope was no longer distant; it was cradled in a manger. The long-awaited promise took the form of a child who would bring light into every darkness.
At the heart of it all is love – the love of God made visible in Jesus Christ. In sending His Son, the Father gave the world the perfect expression of divine love: not a love that demands, but one that gives; not a love that condemns, but one that redeems. This love calls us to give ourselves to others, just as Christ gave Himself for us.
Christmas is more than a season of lights and gifts; it is a living invitation to embody faith, hope, and love. Faith opens our hearts to the mystery of the Incarnation. Hope assures us that God is with us in every darkness. And love compels us to share Christ’s presence through mercy, kindness, and joy.
As we gaze upon the Christ Child, may we renew our faith, strengthen our hope, and let our hearts overflow with the love that came down from heaven to dwell among us.
Dcn. Jay W. VanHoosier is the director of faith formation for the Diocese of Owensboro. For more information visit owensborodiocese.org/faith-formation, email [email protected] or call (270) 852-8324.
Originally printed in the December 2025 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
