If we were to mention some saints who have written most extensively about the Birth of the Lord, about Christmas, and quote some of their phrases, here are 32, plus some reflections from recent Popes.
This is not a scientific study, as is obvious. But it can serve to give us a sense of the coming of the Child God, of his incarnation. The sources are diverse and, in general terms, point to St. Ephrem the Syrian, St. Leo the Great, St. Augustine of Hippo, and St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, not to mention St. Francis of Assisi, as some of those who have written most about the mystery of Christmas.
Apostles
Some well-known phrases and writings of the Apostles have not been included here. These include, for example, St. Peter, St. John the Evangelist (“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory”), and St. Paul the Apostle to the Philippians (“Christ Jesus, being in the form of God, did not greedily retain his equality with God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant...”).
Some saints and reflections
Here is a list of saints, with some of their thoughts on the incarnation of the Lord and, where applicable, a brief commentary.
1. Saint Ephrem the Syrian (+373), known as the poet of Christmas (East), composed dozens of hymns dedicated to the Birth of the Lord. “Blessed be the Child who today has made us, the elderly, children again.”.
2. Saint Leo the Great, Christmas theologian (Western tradition). He is possibly the Pope who has left us the most sermons on the Nativity. “The birth of Christ is the birth of the Christian people.”.
3. Saint Augustine of Hippo, contemplative theologian (Western), has many Christmas sermons and constant references to the Incarnation. “The Creator of man became man, so that man could recognize his Creator.”.
4. Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, with Meditations on the Incarnation, Christmas Novena, etc. “A God who became a child to be loved.”.
Church Fathers, from the East and West
5. Saint Athanasius of Alexandria
“The Son of God became man so that we might become children of God.”.
6. Saint Gregory of Nazianzus
“The rich man becomes poor; he takes what is mine to give me what is his.”.
7. Saint Basil the Great
“God accepts being wrapped in swaddling clothes to free us from the bonds of sin.”.
8. St. John Chrysostom
“Today heaven and earth are united, because God has come to earth.”.
9. Saint Ambrose of Milan
“Christ was wrapped in swaddling clothes to untie the bonds of our death.”
10. St. Jerome
“He who feeds everyone lies in a manger.”
Other saints
11. St. Francis of Assisi
“I want to celebrate the memory of the Child who was born in Bethlehem and see with my own eyes the hardships he endured due to a lack of basic necessities.”.
12. Saint Teresa of Jesus
“Look at the Child in the manger and you will see how great his love is.
13. Saint John of the Cross. “Because in giving us, as he gave us, his Son, who is his Word—and he has no other—he spoke to us everything together and at once in this one Word.”.
14. Saint Ignatius of Loyola. “The three divine Persons looked upon the whole plain or roundness of the world filled with men... and determined that the second Person should become man to save the human race.”.
15. Saint John Mary Vianney (Curé d'Ars)
“The manger teaches us God’s humility and invites us to approach Him with a simple heart.”.
16. Saint Bernadette Soubirous (Lourdes)
“Jesus makes himself small so that we are not afraid to approach him.
17. Saint Francisco Marto (Fatima)
“I love to console Jesus, who was born so poor.
18 Saint Jacinta Marto (Fatima)
“The Child Jesus suffers for the sins of the world; we must love him very much.”
19. Venerable Lucia dos Santos (Fatima)
“The Son of God became man to bring peace to the world.”.
20. Saint Gianna Beretta Molla
“The Child Jesus reminds us that life is a sacred gift from its very beginning.
21. St. Catherine of Siena
“God became a child so that man would trust in his love again.”.
22. St. John Henry Newman
“God became man so that man could live for God.”.
23. Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus (Lisieux)
“At Christmas, God became small to teach us the way of trust.”.
24. St. Maximilian Kolbe
“In the manger begins the victory of love over sin.”.
25. Saint Teresa of Calcutta
“Do not look for Jesus in distant lands: he is in the manger and in the poor.”.
26. Saint Josemaría Escrivá. “He has become so small—you see, a Child!—so that you may approach him with confidence!”
27. Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio)
“In the Child Jesus we find the strength to bear every cross.”.
28. Saint Faustina Kowalska
“God’s love shines most brightly in the silence of the manger.”.
29. Saint Joseph Gabriel del Rosario Brochero
“Christ was born poor to enrich us with his grace.”.
30. Saint Laura Montoya
“The Child Jesus was born to teach us to love without measure.”.
31. Saint Edith Stein (Teresa Benedicta of the Cross)
“The Child in the manger points the way to the cross and to glory.”.
32. Saint Óscar Romero
“Christ is born in poverty to identify with the poor and give them hope.”.
Some Popes
St. John XXIII
“Christmas renews the certainty that God loves the world just as it is.”.
St. Paul VI
“Christmas is the celebration of God’s closeness to man.”
Saint John Paul II
“God has entered human history as a child.”.
Benedict XVI
“In the Child of Bethlehem, God responds to the tragedy of evil with the power of love.”.
Francisco
“God is not born powerful, but fragile, to teach us to love.”.
Great saints and founders have been left out of the list, such as Saint Benedict, Saint Dominic de Guzmán, Saint Vincent de Paul, Saint Joseph Calasanz, Saint Francis de Sales, etc. Don't be angry with me, Merry Christmas to all.
During the Angelus on December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Leo XIV explicitly recalled the Virgin Mary's “yes” at the Annunciation and presented it as a model for all the faithful.
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