When Jesus was born, he was already our Saviour, and every moment of his life from the moment of his birth was part of the work of our redemption. So, too, when he was born, he was already Christ, the Messiah. Being Saviour and being Christ, the Messiah, were part of his very being and, as such, were also his mission on earth. He fulfilled that mission and became what he was sent to be, Saviour and Messiah, by being humbler than all men are. His humility was manifested in his perfect obedience.

From Jesus' life and teaching, we can synthesize a Gospel spirituality built on the three virtues: poverty of spirit, obedience to the Father, and purity of love.

The hymn from the Letter to the Philippians divides neatly into two parts, centred on the affirmation "even to accepting death, death on a cross". The first part deals with Jesus' self-emptying, his earthly life. The second part expresses the consequences of Jesus' acceptance of death, climaxing in a simple but profound Creed, "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father".

Let us frequently make this our response to all that Jesus has done for us.