Blessed Christmas

Blessed Christmas

25 December 2025

That Jesus was not born on 25 December is well established historically. This does not diminish the fact that his birth is commemorated on this date.

The question of Jesus’ historical existence is largely settled among historians. Non-Christian sources such as Tacitus, Josephus, and Suetonius refer to Jesus (or Christus), his execution under Pontius Pilate during the reign of Emperor Tiberius, and the emergence of an early Christian movement. Tacitus’ Annals, in particular, provide an independent and crucial confirmation of both the crucifixion and the presence of Christians in Rome. On this basis, Jesus of Nazareth is a historically attested figure.

The theological question of whether Jesus is the Son of God and rose from the dead cannot be resolved by historical methods alone, but it can be approached rationally. Within the Catholic tradition, Eucharistic miracles are presented as empirically exceptional phenomena, in which consecrated hosts are reported to transform into human tissue or blood. These cases have been systematically documented, notably through the archive established by the canonized Carlo Acutis (miracolieucaristici.org).

In addition, the Church applies a rigorous investigative process in canonizations, requiring at least two medically and juridically examined miracles. Figures such as Carlo Acutis, Pier Giorgio Frassati, and Padre Pio thus represent cases in which religious life, moral witness, and verified extraordinary events converge within an institutional framework.

Finally, the events at Fátima in 1917 — culminating in the so-called Miracle of the Sun — were witnessed by thousands, including journalists who reported on them contemporaneously. The combination of mass observation, documentation, and lasting historical impact makes Fátima a unique case.

The conclusion, therefore, is not that belief in Christ rests solely on subjective faith. Instead, within historical, empirical, and institutional frameworks, there exist coherent and cumulative indications that render belief in Christ rationally defensible.

Blessed Christmas.

Miguel Goede