Christmas 2017
At Christmas the Christian Churches throughout the world celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ. Throughout the Advent season we have been waiting for the coming of Jesus Christ the Son of God our Saviour the light in the darkness of our lives. Now we celebrate His birth with joy as we recall that God gives us the greatest of all gifts, His beloved Son. But with the tidings of great joy we need to remember those who may not be happy this Christmas. Many people sit in dark despair wondering where exactly the Christ light will come from and who will bring it to them for so many reasons. Simply put it is the baby in the manger the that brings the light of god into the world a world that is broken in so many ways. There are three separate sets of scriptural readings for the feast of Christmas. The Gospel that we are familiar with is about Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem and finding no room in the inn, they settle for a stable.
The Gospel for the mass at Dawn relates how the shepherds who had heard the message of the angels believe that they had heard something inviting and so they too go to the stable. The third Gospel for the Mass during the day is not about stables and angels, nor about stars and kings, but a well-worked summary of how believers much later than the writers of the early accounts, express the birth of the Christ Child, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The Word which was in the beginning, has embraced time and space. God so loved the world that he did not send an idea or a feeling or a document or an instruction. God sent his son and he has come and lives among and within us all and Jesus is the reason for this season. Christ came to light up the darkness of our hearts minds and souls. His light gives us hope, true hope, and true Joy. During Christmas we are reminded of the mystery of Mary as Mother of God, mother of the Incarnate Word, and mother of His mystical body, the Church. Christmas encourages us to contemplate Jesus together with Mary, reflecting on Jesus with ‘His mother’, as recounted many times in the Gospels.
Our faith cannot neglect a sane and profound devotion to the Mother of God, as she shows us the easiest way to reach Jesus. In the Rosary Basilica in Lourdes the inscription on the mosaic over the Altar is to Jesus through Mary and the mosaic shows Mary with open arms and again at the wedding at Cana Mary told the attendants as she tells us do whatever he tells you. These are two pointers for us in our modern day as to what we should do in order to do what he tell us. So, why do we celebrate Christmas? It is more than the birth of Jesus. It is a celebration of God with us in all the ups and downs of our daily lives. It is the realization that God’s love and faithfulness dwells among us . It is a sign that we are to carry that love and faithfulness to other people where we are especially at this time of year.
Fullerton T 