Christmas is one of the greatest feasts that bring joy, jubilation, peace, and love into our hearts and lives. We are all excited about Christmas and Christmas celebrations. But there are things that we need to know about Christmas beyond celebrations. Here are some tips to reflect on and pray over this Christmas weekend.
First and foremost, Christmas is the feast of God sending us a Savior.
The Incarnation of Jesus as God-man is to save us from the bondage of sin. The Hindu Scriptures describe ten incarnations of God “to restore righteousness in the world whenever there is a large-scale erosion of moral values.” But the Christian Scriptures teach only one Incarnation, and its purpose is given in John 3:16: “God so loved the world that he sent His only Son so that everyone who believes in Him may not die, but have eternal life.” We celebrate the Incarnation today as good news because we have a Divine Savior. As our Savior, Jesus liberated us from the slavery of sin by his suffering, death, and resurrection, and he atoned for our sins. Every Christmas reminds us that we need a Savior to free us from our evil addictions and unjust thoughts, impure and uncharitable tendencies.
Secondly, Christmas is the Feast of God sharing His love with us.
Jesus, as our Savior, brought the “good news” that our God is a loving, forgiving, merciful, and rewarding God, not a judging, cruel, and punishing God. Jesus demonstrated by his life and teaching how God, our heavenly Father, loves us, forgives us, and provides for us. All his miracles were signs of this Divine Love. Jesus’ final demonstration of God’s love for us was his death on the Cross. Christmas reminds us that sharing love with others is our Christian duty; every time we do that, Jesus is reborn in our lives. Let us face this question, “What does it profit me if Jesus is born in thousands of cribs all over the world and He is not born in my heart?” (Alexander Pope).
Let us allow Jesus to be reborn in our hearts and lives daily by sharing our selfless love, expressed in compassionate words and deeds, unconditional forgiveness, the spirit of humble service, and overflowing generosity.
Thirdly, Christmas is the Feast of the Emmanuel (God living with us and within us)
Christmas is the feast of the Emmanuel because God in the New Testament is a God who continues to live with us in all the events of our lives as the “Emmanuel” announced by the angel to Mary. As Emmanuel, Jesus lives in the sacraments (especially in the Holy Eucharist), in the Bible, in the praying community, and in each believer as His Holy Spirit transforms us into “Temples of the Holy Spirit.”
Christmas reminds us that we are bearers of God with the missionary duty of conveying Jesus to those around us by loving them as Jesus did through sacrificial, humble, and committed service. Sharing this Jesus with others and welcoming this Jesus into our hearts and lives will become our best birthday gifts to Baby Jesus!
WISHING YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR 2024
