Jesus
was born in a stable in Bethlehem, completely void of the materialistic
trappings that would accompany so many celebrations of his birth. Why? Why wasn’t Jesus born in a palace? What was God saying to us? St. Francis of Assisi, who is credited with beginning the
tradition of the Christmas crèche in the thirteenth century, was certain that
in Bethlehem God proclaimed that materialism does not matter. The physical
takes its value from its union with the spiritual. Bethlehem was 2000 years
ago, but we are here now. We must
provide the world with an authentic celebration of the Divine Child’s
birth. Our lives have value when
we are united to the spiritual. We
can transform the world from its despicable exaltation of materialism, to union
with God. Throughout scripture, God is presented as a bridegroom, seeking
marriage to his people, his bride. He marries us so that our lives might be
full of Divine Love. So, we have to reject hatred. We should not even allow the
word hate to enter our vocabulary.
We cannot be part of a mob mentality that accepts any form or degree of
hatred for what it claims is a greater good. Good never comes from hate. Jesus said, “By their fruits you will know them.[1]”
History has shown us the toleration of hatred has resulted in the most
despicable actions of mankind. We must be different. We can and we must put the
Love of God before everything else.
This is what Jesus did when He accepted the worst that the world could
do to Him and adamantly refused to hate.
This is what we do when we love those who attack us be they members of
our families, people in the neighborhood or at work or school, or even members
of terrorist organizations. “By patient endurance you will save your lives”[2].Patient endurance is the scriptural
term for martyrdom, for giving witness to Christ. A child is born in a
stable. He calls his followers,
his disciples, us, to proclaim the Good News, the Gospel, to the ends of the
world. The Spiritual has become
physical. And now we, the physical can become spiritual. We can join the Prince of Peace by
choosing Love. We can and we must unite ourselves to Him, the Divine Lover, and
make the spiritual real. The world longs for a Savior. St. Paul says, “Creation
waits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God”[3].
We are those children. We have received the divine mandate to assure the whole world first
with our lives and deeds and then with our words that there is an infinitely great reason
for all to have a Merry and Holy Christmas • AE
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