A blessed Christmas

Submitted on December 17, 2003

Send to friendIt has become a cliche to point out that the observance of Christmas in our culture has little to do with Jesus Christ.Each year the buying season begins earlier and earlier with decorations arriving at malls in time for the beginning of a new academic year.Society, secular and religious alike, is aware of this dynamic, raises its voice against it and still finds itself trapped in it.This season of joy, hope and peace might be overshadowed by sadness, despair and cynicism. Yet, despite the cliches, the frenzy, the commercialism and cynicism, what is being celebrated and prepared for remains the source of strength to overcome difficulties and the foundation of hope in this world of despair. There is nothing in society that is capable of overshadowing the mystery of the Incarnation.Advent prepares us for Christ’s coming and Christmas celebrates His arrival and the definitive meaning given to human existence by our Savior’s coming as a man.Christmas gives us the opportunity to stand in the middle of the chaos of the season and to contemplate the depth of God’s love for each.In the fullness of time, the Father sent His Son to be one with us in all things but sin.In this coming, the Father manifests His love, showing us, His lowly creation, the lofty and exalted status we enjoy in His eyes.Moreover, the Son’s obedience to the Father shows us how we are to be in relationship with the Father and with each other.Nothing can diminish this. Nothing can curtail the power and the majesty that have been given to us in the Word Incarnate. Yet, Christmas is not just about what was but also what is. Having come to us, the Son continues to be with us in the Eucharist.His real, true and substantial presence exhorts us to live as He lives, to love as He loves.In contemplating the history, by God’s grace poured out in our lives, it remains alive and real.As such, we look at the child Jesus and pray for the graces of obedience, humility, simplicity and poverty.We seek in our daily lives, long after the decorations are removed and the gifts returned, to live the life of Christ, a life of hope, joy and peace for the whole world. So, Christmas has everything to do with Jesus Christ. As we anticipate the joys of Christmas, we at the Review extend to all our readers a blessed Christmas.In Christ, the Word made Flesh, we find our hope.In Him we rejoice and are glad!