Christmas  – byJoe McVeigh

Christmas is a special time of the year -a time for families to come together, a time for children to enjoy, a time when we recall our own childhood and days of innocent fun.

We are also mindful that there are very many children and families and lonely people who will not enjoy this Christmas. They have no reason to be joyful. They experience the horror of war in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan. There are many who go hungry in a world of plenty.  Many have lost loved ones-sometimes in very sad and difficult circumstances. Many wonder where the loving God is in all of this suffering.

If Christmas means anything to us who are comfortable it should mean that we think of the poor and suffering and reach out in solidarity.

We in the Christian tradition, who believe that the God of Jesus Christ is the God of Love and the God of Creation, believe that we are called to be his instruments in the world –instruments of love, peace and justice. Even when we sometimes struggle to understand we know we are responsible for bringing about change and justice in an often unjust world,

Because we believe in Jesus the Christ, who, when he was executed by hanging on a Cross, was raised to new life, we want to know more about him. We remember that he suffered a cruel death because of his solidarity with the poor and oppressed. We celebrate his Resurrection when we gather together to celebrate the Mass. When somebody in our family or community dies we find comfort from our faith in the Resurrection and from the solidarity of the community. 

 

From the earliest days people of Faith have come together to remember the sacrifice that Jesus made and the cause of his cruel death on a Cross. He asked the followers to come together and do this ‘in memory of me.’ 

 

The early story of the life of this prophet, called the Son of God, is recalled every year at Christmas. This has become a Festival of Joy inspiring people to reach out to those in need, to sing Christmas carols and to exchange gifts and messages of peace and joy. 

 

The story of Christ’s death and Resurrection has inspired people all through the centuries to live in solidarity and hope. This is expressed in a special way as we recall the meaning of his birth.

Some have said that we are not only celebrating the birth of the child Jesus–but the Incarnation of the whole universe -the Cosmos. This is an expansive understanding of the meaning of faith in God and the sacredness of all of creation.

Jesus is our answer to the Mystery of suffering and Death in our world. It is the only way that people can come to terms with the reality of torture and oppression by those in political power. Jesus gives meaning to this reality in a way that nobody else has ever done.

 

 Our Hope in the New Life for all of Creation is based on our faith and the faith of the Community in the Power of God to overcome injustice, human limitations and human failings. God’s power over sin and death is seen in a perfect way in the glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ after he was crucified. The early followers of Jesus believed that he was raised by God from death to send a message to the poor and suffering for all time that the tyrants and dictators of this world do NOT have the last word -no matter how much they impose their will on others. It sends out a message to all who live in this so-called modern world that God has a purpose and plan for all of Creation from the very beginning. 

The Resurrection of Jesus is our Hope that the reign of God lasts forever and that we too, along with all Creation, share in that New Life which has existed from the beginning of Creation.  This belief based on the story of Jesus of Nazareth born of Mary, is what gives our Cosmos, the Planet Earth and all of life meaning and purpose. This story invites all people to join in the great mystery of Love and life through Faith.

 Because of the story of Jesus Christ, we believe that Life goes on forever and Love is what endures forever. Our loved ones who ‘in the eyes of the unwise did appear to die’ are not dead but are alive forever through the Power of the Great Lover we call God. They are alive in a new way that we humans cannot fully understand. To our limited understanding of Life on this Earth, it is a Mystery which is beyond human understanding. It is in embracing this Mystery that we find the Truth about Life which lasts forever.  

We celebrate the events of the life of Jesus Christ and because we believe in his Resurrection, we celebrate his birth in Bethlehem in a shed.

This is the child who came to bring hope into the world where there is little reason to hope, to bring about peace and unity where there is war and division and to announce the good news that Life is forever.

 

The story of the child born in poverty in Bethlehem brings people who embrace the Mystery together every year, in prayer and adoration, in wonder and awe. Christmas is about Christ who was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Because we share in his Life and Love we too believe we will share in everlasting life. That is our great consolation and our Hope in the midst of the daily struggles, sorrows and disappointments of this life.

Nollaig Shona daoibh go léir!