By Fr. Marcel Uzoigwe, CSSp | Reading: Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm Ps 98; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-5.9-14
Dear brothers and sisters,
We come together to celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ. The readings refer to his birth as the triumph of light over darkness. A light that shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. That same darkness that has enveloped the world in various ways has submitted itself to the light that the birth of Jesus brings. He has come into the so that those who walk in darkness may be enlightened and those who are weak, sad, and without hope may be strong, happy, and hopeful instead. The readings show us that this little child, born by a poor couple in a manger, and not by a prince in a palace, is Immanuel – God with us. He is the light that illuminates every human being. He is the savior of the world. That is what we celebrate together, and we call it Christmas.
Christmas is that time of the year when families, friends, and neighbors come together to celebrate the birth of the child Jesus in a unique way, by being a blessing to each other. The coming of Christ brought the different cultures, people, and races in the world closer as a family and ushered in a new order of peace, love, mercy, and unity. For Christ, himself has brought us peace by making Jews and Gentiles one people (Eph. 2:14). Christmas challenges us to see Christ in others, especially in those for whom we may find it difficult to love and be kind. The magic of Christmas emerges perfectly in the fact that Christ is born in the most unexpected place and by the most unexpected parents: in Bethlehem and not in Jerusalem; in the period of the Roman empire and not at the highest point of Jewish power.
A very beautiful story describes the magic of Christ being born in our midst. It is a story that some of you know better than I do. The story goes like this: Once upon a time, there was a flourishing monastery that was in decline, with only six monks left in the monastery. Their love for God and their fellow monks was declining sharply. The Abbot was alarmed. So he went to a Rabbi, who told him that they had committed a terrible sin. “What have we done?” exclaimed the Abbot. “The Messiah has come, he is one of you and you have not duly recognized him,” the Rabbi replied. The Abbot asked the Rabbi which of them was Christ. The Rabbi said he did not know. The Abbot went with fear and called the other monks and asked which of them was Christ. They looked at each other in amazement. Who among them could be Christ? Certainly not Brother John, who never comes to prayer on time; certainly not Brother Peter, who is annoyingly careless with his meals; certainly not the Abbot, who is a difficult man. Perhaps Christ is among them in disguise.
So they started treating each other like Christ since they didn’t know which of them was Christ. They spoke kindly to each other. Rude and threatening words were never used again. They looked for ways to serve and forgive each other. Little things that used to irritate them were overlooked and they looked for the good in each other. Each did his work as a service to Christ who was among them and looked for ways to do good for the other. Each listened to the other with full attention and respect. Life began to flow back into the dying monastery. The monastery was suddenly full of life and love. Their prayer life became authentic, rich, and inspired. Noticing this love, the villagers gradually started coming to the monastery. They were happy to see the changes. They enjoyed these beautiful monks and were in turn influenced by them to go home and do the same. Soon the surrounding villagers came to listen and watch the services, and many joined their communities. The Messiah had indeed come.
Christmas begins from that moment when we allow Christ to be born in us, and learn to recognize and serve Him in others too because Christmas is about truly loving people and seeking out the best for them. It is about giving ourselves to others through our good thoughts and wishes to them, and through our encouraging words and actions. By serving others in whom we see Christ, we are actually serving Christ (cf. Matthew 25:40). So Christmas is not just about opening the gifts we receive, but more about opening our hearts to welcome God’s love and share this love with others. This love also reminds us to be thankful for our family, friends, colleagues, well-wishers, and others who inspire us in different ways. We should reserve a special place in our hearts for those who help us in different ways. People who support us in trying times and those who take care of our social, material, and even spiritual needs. Sometimes we do forget to be grateful for the self-giving of these people in the services they provide to us.
Christmas also demands us to acknowledge Jesus in those who are different, those homeless, and people on the fringes of society because when Jesus was about to be born, there was no place for Mary and Joseph in the inn. So, he had to be born in a manger among domestic animals. Those we treat as less than humans or as less than us might be the Marys and Josephs looking for a place for Jesus. Remember, God comes to us in the least expected manner and through the least expected persons. As humans, we tend to emphasize our differences over our similarities and our weaknesses over our strengths. But Christmas urges us to think and behave differently now that the Messiah is one of us.
As we enjoy the festive celebration of Christmas, let us endeavor to allow the light of Christ to shine in us and through us to others. Let us remember to impact the lives of the less privileged in a positive way by adding value to them. Let us commit to being very helpful to the poor and needy this Christmas, instead of feeling helpless and hopeless.
Wishing you a merry, peaceful, and blessed Christmas.