Christmas is celebrated all over the world and it is one of the Feasts, which has universal appeal and character, all believers and non-believers celebrate it. But over the period of centuries the meaning and significance of Christmas has been changed by the secularism concepts and now in many countries it is reduced to celebration of Santa Clause and Jesus, the Savior is forgotten. Christmas is more in the Malls, stores and things, buying and selling, in presents and gifts spending huge amount of money. In the first Christmas this secularist and consumerist concept was not present, there was only Jesus, Mother Mary, Joseph, Shepherds and poor people. There was only good news and healing, there was sharing and solidarity, there was joy and happiness shared beyond religions.
Today Christmas is more in secular places like in Malls etc. where Jesus is projected along with the things and hardly we find the real Jesus, who came with good news of new life of Love, Peace and Joy. It is sad to see that we have many things around Christmas but He is absent or purposely He is not given prominence in order to avoid His call and invitation to be His Messenger of solidarity and Brotherhood. Today we feel happy to purchase things to make Christmas more decorative and it is good to do so but can we avoid the danger of falling in temptation to make Christmas only feasts of objects and forgetting Him who is the reason for the Celebration. Christmas should liberate us from our bondage of sin, darkness and sadness and all the pomp and show of Christmas would not liberate us but only Jesus. Jesus is not a movie actor who plays a character and we celebrate the Hero without inviting him to be the part of our celebration. It is good that we decorate houses, illuminate streets, little trees, everything is welcome, but without Jesus, Mary and Joseph there cannot be a real Christmas. Many things can be missing during the Christmas but not Jesus. Because He is missing from our celebration, the society has made Him a character to be celebrated without His mighty and liberating presence.
Where is the real Christmas? The Christmas is in your next door where an old couple is lonely and forgotten, sick and unattended, hungry and no food for days, need attention of a doctor but no one to take them to Hospital. Christmas is in mangers of today created by our selfish society between rich and poor, black and white, upper and lower class and caste. In these mangers Jesus is purposely thrown out though He would like to stay in to rectify and bring about equality and Justice. Today those who have everything lack Him who could be in the neighborhood or who is knocking every now and then but our doors are permanently locked out for Him or we have become deaf to hear Him and blind to see Him with our wealth and richness. During Christmas we may have everything but in the hearts of the members of our families Jesus may not be there or He is not born. So Christmas then merely becomes a party, an event, a day to enjoy good food and wear good clothes without really seeing Him.
The real Christmas is in the hearts, minds and families of those who Him who came to save us, who invites us each Christmas to live in race and friendship with Him and our neighbor. The real Christmas is accepting with docility His Word and Commandments. The real Christmas reminds us that God lives in the heart of the good and bad, perfect and imperfect, spiritual and sinner. Christmas creates in us the ability to love, accept and share with those who are unfortunate one. The real Christmas does not teach us to leave the cradle of our hearts empty, dry and insensible but to fill it up with real and genuine love that is sacrificial. The real Christmas invites us to fill the crib of our hearts not only with dozens of figures, shepherd and animals but also with Him who is born for us. Until Jesus is born in the hearts of men, it is not yet Christmas, but only a hope of it. Let the real Christmas not be only things and cribs but generous and loving hearts where God is born for all. Let us remember that the manger where Jesus, the redeemer was born was nothing but a dirty and ugly manger, which had only been used to lay hay and be eaten by the animals. He came in and everything changed. But the moment, in which the Blessed Virgin Mary and Joseph placed their divine child in that manger, it became the throne of God. Our soul is a like that dirty and ugly manger until God inhabits it. Our crib, our heart is just a place to store more or less good feelings. But when God dwells in it, our heart and soul also become a heaven. The real Christmas is that we allow Him to born in our hearts and receive the Change we are longing to happen in our lives.
Christmas for everyone; for the good and ugly, rich and poor, fortunate and unfortunate, white and black because God comes for all, He is born for everyone. The real Christmas invites us to be men and women of good will, to be kind and smiling, to be more loving and generous, to be grateful to Jesus who is born to show us the shining bright light of salvation. A real Christmas is urgently inviting us to throw all the garbage of our heart: all the grudges, all the discouragements and despairs, all the bad feelings of envy, of laziness, vanity and throw them away. Let's enjoy a pure heart and full of love towards others. Let's give that gift and let's give it to Jesus. Some of us might need a big help to clear out and empty the misery and ask for another to fill it with gifts from Child Jesus who brings from God, such as charity, kindness, purity and trust, brotherhood and solidarity.
Christmas is asking us to experience happiness within and to share it with all, be a person who sincerely wants to see others happy. It is true that happiness is trying to make others happy. To cure our deep sadness and hurts let us do something for others and definitely God will heal us of everything that keeps us in darkness. Imagine what was the life of Christ, when Saint Peter defined it like this: He spent life doing good. Not two weeks or an act of kindness every day, but a whole life and acts of kindness at every moment. That is the God of Love. If that God comes at Christmas, he will again come to do good to all men and to all the families that open the door for Him. Now let us think that this Christmas God comes in poverty, like a child in need of affection and attention. Now is the time to have charity with God, to show him at least one act of kindness each of those days. Let us offer him not mansion, a cave full of dirt and cobwebs. Let us offer the warmth of our heart, the most endearing friendship to our best Friend. Jesus comes this Christmas not as a judge but as a Savior, he comes as Mercy made flesh as a child.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2019
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