Finding the Christmas Cheer
Photo by Walter Chávez on Unsplash
2 minute read.
Written on the Feast of the Holy Family, December 26, 2021
Even during the present holiday cheer we can find ourselves troubled. It could be from pain that comes from losing a loved one, family dynamics that are really trying and tough, or the current pandemic. I do not have to go lengths at writing about this and would not like to depress you. For we already know what the world is capable of—sadness, despair, and a valley of tears. This piece is meant to uplift you, for it is in sadness that there we find our joy, quoting a poem from Khalil Jibran.
The gift of Christmas is made no different from this year to last, neither is it foreign to what it wants to give. Christmas, and I write during its Octave, which in the Catholic tradition lasts eight days, was made to give the greatest gift of all—a Saviour, in Jesus Christ, to free us from the bondage of sin and its effects with which I already spoke about. If we contemplate the birth at Bethlehem, we would understand that Jesus came into the messiness of the world and its terrible pain. For a baby, as small and powerless as He was, was born in a filthy, smelly, and lowly manger. He came during the darkest of days, is it coincidence that Christmas falls during the darkest week of the year?
Jesus Christ, a Saviour, one who opens our world to faith, hope, and love, a reason for living and a living reason to believe that there is more to the suffering we find ourselves in today. In all who suffer, there is Jesus. He was born to redeem us from sin, and that included death on the Cross. If you choose to believe, you can be eternally grateful that God took on suffering in His son Jesus Christ. So the very suffering we might feel, the hardship and toil that we find ourselves in today, has been redeemed by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. He was born for this purpose.
Jesus Christ, fully God and fully man—a mystery for us to ruminate for the entirety of our lives. As fully man He can relate with our sufferings. They can be the intense sufferings for which I have already spoken. But this is to say you need not be afraid. We are on our journey towards death. Nothing will remain but the Alpha and the Omega. Love never ends. Have you lost something special, even someone you love? Are they not with you though, in the treasures of your heart? No, you would say, you never really lost them. That is why Jesus, the Author of Love, is still not forgotten to this day. It was over two millennials ago that he was born, lived, and died, and here I am writing about Him today. He is a mystery, yes, a great one. It is not for us to solve, but for us to receive and discover.
In all who suffer, especially during Christmas time, there is Jesus. He knows our human condition, save for sin. There was Jesus born in a poor stable, there is also Jesus today in the homeless and the hungry. There was Jesus ridiculed and mocked, there is also Jesus today in the abused and abandoned. There was Jesus on the Cross, there is also Jesus today in the afflicted and lonely. Jesus experienced the sorrows of this life. Look to Him who knows and empathizes with your state. You are not alone. He is with you. Be at peace. For there was Jesus, born to fulfill a particular mission—redeem humanity from sin. And that my friends, is how we find joy from the well of sadness.