[Rev Fr Francis Kharwanlang
Happy Christmas to one and all !! Jesus is the reason for Christmas. The only blind person at Christmas Time is one who has not God in his heart. Christmas may be a day of feasting or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance – a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved.
Three things are made visible by Christians at Christmas: Christmas Crib, Christmas Star, Christmas Tree.
- Christmas Crib: Baby Jesus and the crib are at the heart of Christmas. For Christians, they show the key Christian story of God becoming fully human. The accounts of the birth of Jesus in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew date from the first century, but the setting up of Christmas Cribs to represent these stories has really only been documented from the time and example of St Francis of Assisi, year 1220. St Francis set up his Crib at Greccio, Italy, after his pilgrimage to Bethlehem. He likely saw an earlier version of the Crib while he was there, pointing to a longer tradition of the crib pre-dating the one he started in Italy.
Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth had long been venerated by Christian pilgrims. Origen of Alexandria mentions the cave where Jesus was born in the early 3rd century. Here was built the first basilica church that was completed in the year 333. For those who can’t go to Bethlehem, the Crib is a practical way of representing the physical circumstances of the birth of the Divine Saviour. Thanks to those pious Christians who put up Christmas Cribs in their homes and pray that their homes will ever be a Crib where the Divine Saviour will always abide with them.
- Christmas Star: The colorful Christmas stars hung on the trees and houses have now become a prominent symbol of Christmas. Available in a range of sizes, colours and patterns, these wonderful decors bring the flavor of festivals along with them. Have you ever thought how these Stars became the symbol of Christmas? Christmas star, also known as the Star of Bethlehem, is associated with the birth of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Christians all over the world believe that it is this Star which revealed the birth of Jesus to the shepherds and the magi and led them to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. This symbol of birth of the king of kings appears in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew. King Herod, after meeting the wise men who interpreted to him the prophecy from the Book of Micah, directed them to Bethlehem, a nearby village. The Star of Bethlehem led them to Jesus’s birth place in Bethlehem. It is this star that pious Christians hang infront of their houses at the beginning of December to remind them of the Birth of the Divne Saviour.
- Christmas Tree: Many legends are being told about how the Christmas Tree came into being. The following legend is from Germany. Once on a cold Christmas Eve (night), a forester and his family were in their cottage gathered round the fire to keep warm. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. When the forester opened the door, he found a poor little boy standing on the door step, lost and alone. The forester welcomed him into his house and the family fed and washed him and put him to bed in the youngest sons own bed. He had to share with his brother that night. The next morning (Christmas Morn), the family were woken up by a choir of angels, and the poor little boy had turned into Jesus, the Christ Child. The Christ Child went into the front garden of the cottage and broke a branch off a Fir Tree and gave it to the family as a present to say thank you for looking after him. So ever since them, pious people have remembered that night by putting a Christmas Tree infront of their homes.
I like to conclude with a line from the modern Christmas Song written by Taylor Swift, who warns us, “Last Christmas I gave you My Heart, but the very next day you gave It away.” Let us never betray God in our life, but always sing: “Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth to men of good will (Luke 2:14). Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year – 2016 !!! ▪