The last of the O Antiphons:

O Emmanuel, God with us, our King and Lawgiver, the expected of the nations and their Savior: Come to save us, O Lord our God.

God with us…Emmanu-EL! This is what Christmas is about: God is come to be with us—in the flesh! The Messianic longing has been fulfilled in an earth shattering reality: the Virgin conceived and gave birth to the Eternal One! Our Lord has come Himself to save us. At the beginning of Advent the Church prayed “O that you would rend the Heavens and come down!” (Isaiah 64). That is exactly what He did! At Christmas the Church reads “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1)!