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Christmas is here! Christ is here! God is faithful to
his promises. “Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a
son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Is 7:14). This
was the promise he made long ago through the mouth of
his prophet Isaiah. And it is fulfilled at this
Christmas. Why at this Christmas? Because
Christmas is not just an old story about something that
happened so many thousands of years ago. It is happening
now, right here, for us. How is that possible? It
is possible for God, because God is beyond time and
space. He lives in the ever present eternity. All we
need is to look at him with faith. Through the eyes of
faith we shall indeed look at the same babe of
Bethlehem. It is said about St. Francis Assisi that
after he had made the first ever crib, he was filled
with such ecstatic joy that he could hardly speak except
to repeat, “Oh sweet babe of Bethlehem!” If it was
possible for St. Francis of Assisi to see Christ by
looking into a crib, we too can see Him, for “God shows
no partiality” (Acts 10:34).
The angel told the shepherds, “Be not afraid;
for behold I bring you good news of a great joy which
will come to all the peoples; for to you is born this
day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the
Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a
babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger”
(Lk 2:10-12). Mark the words, “I bring you good news of
a great joy which will come to all the peoples…”
‘All the people’ means the entire human race down
through the centuries from the beginning of time to the
end of it!
It is true the little babe lying in our cribs
is only a little statue. And the statues of Our Lady and
St. Joseph are also placed near by, along with those of
some shepherds with their animals. These little statues
are only to remind us of the even as it took place 20
centuries ago. But we need to look for the same Jesus
today. He is born in our world today. Searching for
Jesus is an adventure. For the shepherds of the Bible
story it meant believing in the message of the angel and
going to Bethlehem, a village nearby. For the wise men
from the East it meant a long journey, a pilgrimage with
its perils and struggles. Similarly we too need to step
outside our usual settings to look for Jesus. We need to
make an extra effort to search.
Our search can take us into the Church where Jesus is
truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. We can bow down
before him and worship him there. We can search him in
the dwellings of the poor. Why not visit a poor family
and look for the face of Jesus in those we meet there?
One can not only look for Jesus among them, but one can
also be a Jesus to them. Why not look for Jesus among
those shut up in a hospital or in a jail? We remember
his words, “I was sick and you visited me, I was in
prison, and you came to see me” (Mt. 25:36).
The other day a young man told me how he felt loved by
God. He was thinking of celebrating an event by doing
something good to the poor. So he went to a home for the
aged and destitute run by the Sisters of Charity of
Mother Theresa and offered pay for the food one evening.
He not only paid for the food, but also went and served
the food to the senior citizens in that home. After
serving the food, he took a plate, served himself, and
sat down among them and ate the food with them, all the
while talking to the old people around him. Once the
meal got over and he arose to go, one of the old men
thanked him not only for the food but more especially
for the kind gesture of eating with them and talking to
them. Looking back at the event the young man felt that
he had a most delightful evening with the destitute
because in them he was able to meet Jesus, talk to Jesus
and feed Jesus. Again this is what Jesus says about such
events, “Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the
least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt. 25:
40).
There is an ancient story about a religious
community living in the deserts of Egypt. The community
was in a bad shape. The members often quarrelled among
themselves, the abbot had a difficult time trying to
keep order and discipline, most of the religious were
going about with a gloomy look as if they had nothing to
rejoice about, and many of the younger members left the
community for good. The abbot knew a holy man, a hermit,
who lived alone in a cave not too far away. He decided
to go to meet him to ask his advice as to how he could
ever reform his community and bring peace and harmony
among his brethren. The hermit was very pleased to
welcome the abbot. He listened patiently to what the
abbot had to say about his community. After a moment of
silence he said, “You go back to your community and tell
them a secret. Tell them that one among them is Jesus
Christ in disguise.” The abbot was not convinced. “Are
you sure that one of my brethren is really Jesus Christ
in disguise?” “Indeed it is so”, said the hermit. The
abbot rushed back to his community and called the
members together for a conference and told them the
secret he had learned from the hermit. When they heard
it the members of the community looked with at one
another wondering as to who could be the ‘Jesus in
disguise’ among them. They began to treat each other
with great courtesy lest they should offend Jesus. They
sought opportunities to serve one another so as to serve
Jesus. All the quarrelling and bad talk was abandoned.
There was a great enthusiasm visible in the common
recitation of prayers. They sang the praises of God with
great earnestness. Within days the community was
transformed. There was joy on every face. The people in
the neighbourhood noticed the change in the members of
the community. Many young men came to join the community
and the numbers swelled.
The hermit had not told a lie. Indeed Jesus
was present in the community in disguise. He was living
in every one of the members. This is true of our
families and our communities. “Where two or three are
gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them”
(Mt. 18: 20). The joy of Christmas and the joy of life
depend on how well we believe in the secret of Christ’s
presence within ourselves and within our families. Our
Blessed Mother is our best model in loving Jesus. From
the moment He came to dwell within her at the
Annunciation, she lovingly adored him who dwelt within
her, longing to see his face. Once he was born she
pondered adorningly and lovingly on every word he
uttered and on everything that happened around him (Lk.
2:19, 51). With what tenderness she must have nursed
him, fed him and taken care of him! The very same Jesus
is born to us today. He waits for a smile, for a kind
word, a gentle touch, an act of love. He lies hidden in
the heart of every human being! Shall we not go out to
meet him this Christmas? “You will seek me and find me;
when you seek me with all your heart” (Jer. 29: 13; cf.
Deut. 4: 29). |
