True Hope & Joy of Christmas

IT goes without saying that the last twenty two months of covid-19 lockdown has been very difficult and tumultuous one, so much so that we might be tempted to regard the usual Christmas themes of hope and joy with cynicism. How can we be joyful when we have lost loved ones, had our livelihoods shattered, or witnessed the fabric of society crumble around us? With so many threats to our health, freedoms, families, and perhaps even survival, hope seems distant and joy a luxury of the past. Feelings of fear and helplessness seek to stand in their place.

Yet, if we truly delve into the story of Jesus’ birth, these struggles and sorrows we face bring to light the meaning of Christmas even more acutely. Jesus, Son of God and Lord of creation, did not come to earth in comfort, luxury, or even stability. We have heard the Christmas story so many times we can take for granted how unprecedented were its circumstances. Jesus wasn’t born in a safe and comfortable palace, to wealthy and powerful parents, ruling over an advanced civilization. If I were King of Kings descending from the heights of heaven and perfect bliss, I would at least set myself up to be born in the best situation earth with all its shortcomings could offer.

Instead, in infinite humility, the King of Kings chose to be born to lowly and impoverished parents, forced from their home and unable to obtain even a proper room and cradle to lay Him in, from a rather insignificant and conquered nation, whose own ruler tried to kill Him in infancy. Jesus’ birth was a wondrous and joyful occasion, but its joy didn’t derive from pleasure, security, or material goods. Rather, the joy of Christmas comes from God’s closeness in dwelling among us, and His promises of healing and redemption fulfilled.

From the moment of His conception to His death and resurrection, Christ’s life shows us what true joy means and where true hope comes from. The jarring poverty and suffering He endured for the entirety of His life reveals the deepest truths about our lives and suffering: this world is transient and fragile. Only God endures, and He has invited us to participate in His own Divine Life in eternity by loving as He loves. In loving others and Him as He loves us, we find true joy regardless of what circumstances we face. In that lies our hope and healing.

Let us join hands in reclaiming the TRUE HOPE OF CHRISTMAS: HOPE that God reaches into the darkest places in our lives and communities to bring healing, HOPE that every one of us can transform the world through compassion, HOPE in the knowledge that God so loved the world He sent His only Son to save us. Let us imitate that selfless love and reach out to all those affected by this “pandemic”, calamities, violence, those who lost their livelihood, homes, and most importantly their love ones. GOD BLESS THE WHOLE WORLD !