What the birth of Jesus Christ means to Catholics

"The Word was made flesh, he lived among us, and we saw his glory, the glory that is his as the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
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Advent in the Catholic Church is a time of preparation for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, sent by God to save us from our sins. Starting on the fourth Sunday before Christmas, it marks the beginning of a new liturgical year and it is a time of reflection with hope, peace, joy and love, the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ, God's greatest gift to us. 

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Jesus means in Hebrew: "God saves." At the annunciation, the angel Gabriel gave him the name Jesus as his proper name, which expresses both his identity and his mission. 18 Since God alone can forgive sins, it is God who, in Jesus his eternal Son made man, "will save his people from their sins". 19 in Jesus, God recapitulates all of his history of salvation on behalf of men. (CCC 430)