The Christmas season is bursting with jovial gatherings, good food, great conversations, surprises and lots of laughter, rejuvenating the human spirit at least until the party is over.
Christmas morning rolls around and the excitement of opening presents brings a closeness -–a unity of all who anxiously surround the Christmas tree. As the packages are torn asunder, the floor is littered by torn paper, empty boxes, and discarded gift bags. Presents are quickly placed back under the tree or taken to a new location, where they will sit on a shelf, stuffed in a drawer or stuck in the closet. Some are actually brought back to the store.
The long-anticipated countdown of days waiting for Christmas is over and we go about our business, forgetting about all the wonderful presents both little and big surprises that we were given. By Easter, we won’t remember who gave us what for Christmas. Come next November, the rush of Christmas excitement will send us running back to the stores.
Have we lost the true meaning of Christmas which is found in scripture? Isaiah 7:14 tells us, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name Him Emmanuel.” And in Isaiah 9:5-6, we read: “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon His shoulder dominion rests. They name Him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, upon David’s throne, and over His kingdom, which He confirms and sustains by judgment and justice, both now and forever.”
Recapturing the first Christmas, Joseph, who was the chosen husband and caregiver to the Virgin Mary, found a safe place for them to lodge, knowing Mary was about to give birth. Here’s the reality of this biblical scene found in Luke 2:1-14: For us men and for our salvation God came down from heaven. By the power of the Holy Spirit, God was born of the Virgin Mary. Mary willingly delivered God’s love, forgiveness and mercy, wrapping God in swaddling clothes, then carefully laid the Newborn King in a manger, or a trough to feed animals.
The gift of Christmas was given to us by God, our Father. In John’s beloved and familiar verse of 3:16-18, he writes: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because He has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
Yes, it’s a free Gift, given with a promise of eternal life, a durable Gift that lasts forever, and is worth more than all the gold and silver in the universe. But – there is one string attached – the Gift must be opened, worn and used.
Unfortunately, Catholics aren’t going to church as often as they should. Did we miss this package under our Christmas tree? Perhaps we opened the Gift, forgot who gave it to us, and there it sits on the shelf waiting to be opened again. Could it be that we discarded this Gift because we didn’t like the fabric or the color? Maybe in our infinite wisdom, we thought we didn’t need this Gift or decided we were too important to even consider this menial Gift? If you have shoved your Gift behind closed doors, there is still time to open the box. Celebrate Christmas every day by going to Mass. There on the altar God’s Gift – the Eucharist – is waiting for us. This is the Gift that keeps on giving.
Bobby Speers is an author who lives in Hickory. Her writing can be found online at www.writecatholic.com.