Christmas Reflection

And these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

Christmas is a derivative of the phrase “Christ Mass”. Like Michaelmas in the Roman Catholic liturgy, Christmas was the special mass celebrating the day of the Christ, in this case, the day dedicated to celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Coinciding with the Winter Solstice celebration of the ancient Romans, the celebration on December 25 is not a literal celebration of Jesus’ birthday (since no one knows when any of the ancients were actually born), but a day selected to serve in place of the actual date.

Today, Christmas is celebrated by billions of Christians worldwide, along with their neighbors of all faiths and lack thereof. It is a time of family togetherness, a time of generosity and kindness to the greater part of our communities, a time of spirituality and awakening, renewal of faith, and rekindling of hope.

Highly commercialized and fueled by materialism, I think it is important to learn the lesson of the Grinch – Christmas is not the gifts, or Santa Claus, or Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, or Frosty the Snowman, or the deals on everything from cars to iPods, or even the religious brouhaha. Christmas is the spirit of the Christ child – the spirit of hope and offer of redemption, a way out of darkness. Whether you believe in Jesus Christ or not, the spirit of Christmas is the same. His name even graces the word.

And so, my friends, I leave you with all my blessings of grace, peace, hope, love, and great joy for the rest of this day and all the days to come. Take my blessings with you as you return to your families, your classes, your jobs, your homes. Smile, and let the world see that where there is despair, there is hope. Laugh, and let the world see that where there is sorrow, there is joy. Give, and let the world see that where there is greed, there is kindness. Receive, and let the world see that were there is stinginess, there is grace. Love, and let the world see that where there is darkness, there is light.