Editor,
Christmas is God gifting us his very self in the form of a human being; a little baby. Hence by its very nature, Christmas is a time for giving and receiving, a time of loving and being loved, a time of great expectations and meeting them. Christmas is a celebration of fulfillment. Yet, in this season, many are empty and wanting.
Reading the daily newspapers, and listening and watching the daily news from various media, there is so much hate in the world, and it seems like Christmas is meaningless. And amidst the terror and counter-terror, in the depths of poverty amid plenty, it is time to go back to the first Christmas and know that in that silent night, when the Child was born, the greatest wish came to be: Peace on earth, goodwill to men. Gloria in Excelsis Deo!
Every one can testify that the first Christmas was not about religion; it was about presence. It was not about power and might; it was about empowerment of the lowly, the poor. It was about encountering: shepherds and kings. There were conflicts and human dynamics centering on power play, including the denial of a room in the inn for a family in dire need of a place to stay. The images of contrast project light and darkness, a chiaroscuro. But by and large, peace and joy were the overriding messages on that first Christmas night.
The Bible tells that the Child grew up. A “kingdom not of this world,” he proclaimed. There is constancy in the message. The true reality of being human transcends the conditions that manifest in the world. Being human is never an excuse for deprivation or greed. Being human presumes intrinsic and boundless greatness in every person. There is power in the Person of Jesus, not power by conquest but power by affirmation.
We all know the universal salutation: Peace! Shalom! As-Salaam-Alaikum!The wish for peace continues for this Christmas as it was in the beginning. This is a perpetual Christmas wish for our state, our country and for the whole world, for all generations. But the foundation of peace is deeply personal. The song hit it right on the head: “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” Authentic peace can be realized only when every person finds personal peace. And how can this happen? Through self-awareness. Knowing who one really is inevitably brings peace. The Child in Bethlehem, in the manger, knew who He was. He was whole, not wanting, and He shared the good news that all are as He is. For this, the world crucified Him. And He proclaimed that He and every person are One, He is the vine and we are the branches. And the world crucified many who believed, and continues to crucify believers.
Today the world misses its real identity when it defines itself in terms of power and wealth, pleasure and fame. The crisis in the world is one of identity. If only every person can proceed from the Truth of the Child that is the reason for the season, that we are all one under and in One God, the world will be at peace. War becomes meaningless. John Lennon’s imagery of “all the people, sharing all the world” becomes real.
As I see it in our time, elitism is the root of all conflicts in the world. Haves and have-nots, powerful and powerless are distinguished, and social classes established. Structures that abet the differences that seem to define peoples create blinders. They hide the real identities that otherwise will show that we are all equal, circumstances notwithstanding. All men and women are created equal. It is a sad twist of fate that inequality has become humanity’s dominant preoccupation since time immemorial.
Therefore this year’s Christmas, the Child in Bethlehem is constantly challenging every human being to do as He did: to go and share of oneself and spread the message of peace. That is the only call that matters.
A blessed gift-giving feast to all!
Yours etc.,
Micheal Makri,
Via email
