Homilies

CHRISTMAS MIDNIGHT: GIVING "SKIN" TO CHRISTMAS

ON A CHRISTMAS midnight the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds in the region where Jesus was born, and the glory of the Lord shone around them.  The gospel account of St. Luke on this liturgical celebration gives us a picture of the history, so tangible and concrete during the Roman Empire, as to when and how Jesus was born.  We may not have the exact record of it, for events in the ancient times were not recorded the way it is being done today, except probably the account of Josephus during that time. Nevertheless, the fact tells us that there was a baby boy born of Mary in Bethlehem and was named Jesus.

The birth of Jesus and the gift of his person to the world and humanity, whether one would accept it or not, had changed the course and the face of the world beginning with the people in Palestine.  Jesus, to many, became a gift, the fulfillment of God’s promise of salvation. Yet, to others, he was a political or religious disturbance so they thought it would be better to hang him on the cross.  Let us be reminded, however, that the curse of cross became, at the same time, a gift of life. On the pierced side of Jesus where blood and water flowed, the Church was born. It is in this manner that one can barely talk about Christ’s Incarnation without linking it to his Paschal Mystery.

Nonetheless, Christmas season is surely not Lent nor Easter.  Though distinct in the liturgical year, the evangelists in the beginning had understood the Incarnation of Jesus in the light of his self-offering on the cross and his resurrection.  Ultimately, these mysteries are one reality. This Christmas is better understood as a “gift”, as an “offer”.  For some, this may be easily accepted, but some too have taken it for granted or have ignored it as an existing reality. 

Christians have been accustomed to celebrating Christmas; it becomes a time to remember that Jesus was born more than 2000 years ago.  Although we enjoy its atmosphere, but we seem to associate this event just with Christmas presents or gifts, family gatherings, reunions, or little acts of charity to the orphanage, to the homeless, to the needy in general and after the season we forget them.  We seem to lose its meaning after the season, probably because it has not rooted within us and the atmosphere of Christmas (decorations, songs, etc.) is also gone.

Certainly, it is never wrong to enjoy the spirit of Christmas, but what is wrong is that when its spirit flies away after the celebration. The spirit of Christmas should be lived always. Maybe, this time, we need to relive the beautiful story of Incarnation of the Son who embraces our fragile and vulnerable humanity in order to show and give humanity’s true meaning; even to perfect and heal this wounded humanity.  This is indeed a true gift, a gift by the Father to us that has a flesh of himself.  God takes on flesh because, as Fr Ronald Rolheiser says, “we need someone with us who has some skin.”

We might not be aware that the compassion we feel towards the hungry, the homeless, the orphan, the widow, the afflicted, the abused, the oppressed is an experience of an “outburst”, an “eruption” of divine mystery within us.  This speaks to us in varied forms, but basically to our own fragility, or we may call it our woundedness and brokenness and the vulnerability of others.  Don’t we experience God as closer to the poor and afflicted? Is this not a compassion that reflects God’s compassion for us? Isn’t the way Jesus was born penetrates the heart of vulnerable humanity?  Is this not an “Emmanuel”?

Then we say that God is present in all of us, and so we are all called to discover him in us and in our brothers and sisters especially those who really need our care, our attention, our love, and our help.  This is how we give “skin to God” who gave himself a skin to be closer to us!  Would this mean then to all of us that Christmas is an all year-round celebration? On a Christmas midnight the angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds.  Let us therefore be shepherds of this wonderful event of Christ’s birth that continues to live in our hearts.  Let us make Christmas happen in our midst, in our brothers and sisters!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!

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