We are in the midst of our Christmas celebrations. The Messiah has come into the world, he has taken flesh, and God dwells with us. We have great cause for rejoicing. “Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!” (Psalm 96:11) Let the Christmas celebrations continue in earnest and with festivity.
But our festivity will only remain at the surface level if we do not allow the grace and mystery of the Christ Child to affect our hearts. If we do not conform our thoughts and actions to the reality that the eternal Son was born of the Virgin Mary and became man, the entire purpose of Christmas will be lost on us and our festivities will be in vain.
Christmas is the festival of a new day of grace as we commemorate the advent of God in the flesh. The coming of our Messiah and Savior is a new dawn, and we are meant to enter into the light of this day. Each Christmas is a reminder and an encouragement to live in this light every day of our lives. How do we know if we are living in this light? How do we know if Christmas has changed our lives? Saint John gives us the answer: “Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall” (1 John 3:10).
Love is the sign that Christmas has affected our lives.
In our current culture, the primary way we show love during this season is by giving gifts to family and friends. But Christian love can be shown in other ways as well. Praying for each other, spending time with our families, doing small chores around the house, ministering to the poor, going to daily Mass, and spending time with Jesus in adoration are only a few of the ways that we live out the charity of this season throughout the year.
As we continue to remember the coming of the Lord at Christmas and look forward to his second coming at the end of time, let love be our celebration. In this season above all seasons, love of neighbor should mark our Christmas festivities. And even when this year’s celebrations come to an end, we can still love with a love renewed by our Christmas celebrations and fortified by the hope of new and eternal dawn, when Jesus comes again in light and glory.
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Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash
