The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom, a light has shone. -9:1
God is good, all the time.
Friends: Christmas, the very mention of it floods the mind with several images. The sounds, sights, and tastes of Christmas become different for each of us in our experiences- memorable stories that are touching, hilarious, or even sad.
There are also Christmas experiences that are universal, and everyone can relate to and identify with them. Take wonder of Christmas captured in a little boy or girl who wakes up excited to see what Santa left for him or her under the tree. The warmth of Christmas, which is portrayed in the beautiful traditional meals shared by families and friends in a happy, joyful atmosphere; it is all good as long as you don't bring in politics. And no matter the times we live in, good times and challenging times, people tend to put their best foot forward and engage in acts of kindness and generosity. Our Christmas experiences for 2020, like the whole year, may take a unique character of its own. The pandemic has plunged us into gloomy, dark times. Marriages celebrated in low key or postponed, sacraments that were observed not in the same parish or family-style, graduation partied never organized, job and financial losses.
But these very same reasons that Christmas is more meaningful this year. The prophecy of Isaiah 9:1-6 about Christmas is relevant. The prophet tells the world, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing...for the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder, and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed, as on the day of Midian. For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests."
Christmas does not only celebrate, but also invites us to accept a reality; the truth is that "GOD SO LOVED YOU AND ME THAT HE SHARES THE GIFT OF HIS SON WITH US." God plunged deep into our reality and became part of our joys, our pains, our struggles, our anxieties, our dreads, our hopes, and our dreams. He touched the bottom of the sea with humanity so that he can always reach out to each of us when we seem to drown and offer us help, joy, peace, forgiveness, new starts, and the ultimate gift of heaven.
The Christmas season has brought us hope with the successful development of a vaccine to immunize us against Covid-19. We are therefore encouraged by the celebration of Christmas and look forward in the coming year to the happy times when a child is born, a son or daughter receives the sacraments, graduates from school, gets a new job, marries, and even the painful and anxious time when someone in the family may lay sick, or the tragic time when death occurs in the family.
Let us remember in all these circumstances that God still loves the world; he loves each of us.Filled with Christmas hope, let us continue to find the lost, feed the hungry, heal the broken, free the prisoner, rebuild the nation, bring peace among the people, and make music in the each one’s heart. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Amen.