“The Church is not perfect, so why trust her?” Correct. The members of the Church are sinners. But the authority of the Church does not rest on the personal holiness of every member. It rests on Christ’s promise to preserve His teaching. If the truth depended on human perfection, it would have disappeared long ago. So the argument comes down to this. Either Christ gave His Church real authority to teach, or He did not.

The Church’s role in the public square is simple: tell the truth, whether it is convenient or not. Not to gain power. Not to win elections. But to call people to conversion.

Jesus does not need to be made relevant. He already is. He meets people where they actually live. He listens. He challenges. He forgives. He calls people to more than survival. He calls them to life.

And yet, even within the Church, we sometimes speak more readily about public figures than about the Son of God. We analyze leaders while neglecting the Lord. We risk sounding more like commentators than shepherds. Not out of malice, but out of habit.

God did not rush His coming into the world. He entered quietly, humbly, and patiently. The Church mirrors that wisdom by asking us to remain with the mystery rather than move on too quickly. When we rush past Christmas, we risk treating the birth of Christ as a moment of sentiment rather than the decisive event it truly is. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. That truth deserves time, attention, and reverence.