According to Fr. Raymond Brown only the gospel of Matthew and Luke give us the “Infancy Narratives.” And these two gospels differ so much. Matthew gives a picture where in Mary and Joseph live at Bethlehem and have a house there… while in Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph lived at Nazareth and went to Bethlehem only because they had to register there during the census. Though they differ with each other still both were conveying a religious message to the readers. They agree remarkably on the religious meaning of the conception of Jesus. That Jesus descent is to be traced genealogically through Joseph who was of the house of David. And Mary conceived Jesus not through sexual relationship with Joseph but by the creative power of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, according to Brown that the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke contain the basic revelation of the full identity of Jesus and that way in which this revelation was quickly shared with others, evangelizing some, but causing rejection and hatred among others.
From this point of view I ponder that the center of Christmas season is Jesus. He is the sole reason why we celebrate this season. But unfortunately I observed something during the caroling of the Bukid Majors seminarians last December 17-18, 2009 at Pangantucan and Maramag Bukidnon. One thing that was common I observed in all the houses we visited was full of flamboyant Christmas decorations, big Christmas trees, beautiful stars with series lights, Santa Claus, and etc. But there was no “belen” or an image of the Holy Family or the image of baby Jesus in the manger. Sad to realize but it is the reality we are facing now. If Matthew and Luke differ in their presentation of infancy narratives peoples now a days differ also in finding meaning what is really the essence of Christmas. I remember what Fr. Vir said during our spiritual direction that someone asked him about what is the real meaning of Christmas. Is it there in the Freedom Park where there are lot of foods, drinks and noise? Or is it there in the Plaza where lights are shining so bright? What is really Christmas for me? I asked myself intently. Then I remembered my early years how my family celebrated Christmas in our home. Traditionally we attended the midnight mass and waited until 12:00 midnight and ate our “Noche Buena” then slept. That was how we celebrated Christmas. But is that really the essence of Christmas? Honestly that was the real essence of Christmas for me before but as of now I realize that it is lacking. With or with out Noche Buena, poor or rich can still celebrate the birth of our Lord. Christmas is not more on receiving gifts from our relatives, friends or parents rather Christmas is more on giving than receiving. And our model of giving is God the Father Himself. He gave us the greatest gift and that is Jesus. That is why, Christmas is the day we commemorate the love of God to us. He fulfills what He promises that He will be with us “Emmanuel”. Christmas is not about Santa Claus but it is about Jesus. Our good deeds to mankind are the greatest gift we can offer to our birthday celebrant who is Jesus. Of course it is neither Noche Buena nor material gifts but by giving our treasure, talents and time to the needy person makes our Christmas meaningful and satisfying. No matter what our traditions or rituals in celebrating Christmas season the important there is that the real message of Christmas is that God is with us “EMMANUEL”.
Believing that God is with us lays great challenges especially as a seminarian. Based on my experience I only felt Jesus presence in my happy moments. But when dilemmas came into my life seldom I saw Jesus in those experiences. Then later I realized whether good or bad the experiences I had in my life God is with me and never abandoned me. As seminarian and priest to be it is my task to make Christ known in my community. How? By showing loyalty to my friends, forgiveness to my enemies, faithful service to my ministry, a good example to my community, I will honor my father, give gratitude and devotion to my mother, I will respect myself, show charity to all men, and give my life to God. Following this gradually might help my mission to succeed in making Christ known to my community. Since Christmas for me is more on giving than receiving so the greatest thing I can give to my family, relatives, and friends is my time. To the community whom I will serve in the future, my faithfulness and my dedication to my vocation are the greatest gift I can offer. Lastly as a future priest I must preach the good news about Christmas. What is the real Christmas? And what is the message of Christmas to our lives as Christians. Christmas will never be “crisis-mas” because in Christmas, Christ is the significant person in this season.
No comments:
Post a Comment