Do not be afraid. For I bring you the good news of great joy.
Today a saviour has been born for you. He is Christ the Lord! Luke 2:10-11
The Christmas story will mean different things to different people. For many, it is a historical event and foundation of faith; for others it is more of a myth.
Whatever it is for you, Christmas is a dramatic and powerful event celebrated worldwide. At Christmas, we take time to think about and pray for all the families that have gone through losing someone they love. We know how difficult each Christmas, every holiday, and most other days are for them.
On Christmas Day, as believers, we recall, celebrate and tell the story of how and when Jesus was born. We tell the story of Mary and Joseph being turned away from the inn. We remember not only the angel appearing to shepherds in the fields with the good news of hope (“A saviour has been born for you.” Lk. 2:10-11), but we also remember and celebrate the difference that Jesus has made not only to the world, but to our personal lives.
We celebrate this year’s Christmas, witnessing the pain and suffering of millions of people due to abject poverty, hunger and senseless wars and endless conflicts! The world has also seen the devastating effects of climate change including hurricanes, floods and persistent drought. Mass migration of peoples seeking refuge and safety in other countries around the world has hit a historical record high. Our Christmas festivities can’t surely pretend to ignore this reality that affects each one of us in one way or another.
Yet, we trust and have hope in the God who is always faithful to his promises. A God who suffered deprivation as he laid in a manger in the cold night; We look to the God who survived an infanticide organized by the political establishment (King Herod), a God who became a refugee in Egypt and a God who suffered rejection and ignominious death on the cross! Yet in the end he rose triumphant from the dead. He is the source of hope for those who are suffering. On the importance of hope, Swahili speakers in East Africa have a saying that .. “a little hope each day can fill the river to overflowing and where there is hope, there is no darkness”!
How can we be a reason of hope for those who are suffering today? The poor, refugees, asylum seekers, victims of injustice and the outcasts? How can we walk in their shoes and show them our love and care? That’s what Christmas is all about, a story teaching us how to live and love. Through the birth of Christ, God enters our time and history, and more importantly to each of our own personal lives, in a personal and intimate way.
May you all experience the lasting joy of Christmas and prosperous new year. Merry Christmas.
Nativity scene. Drawing by Colum Keating
Amandus Kapele C.S.Sp.
