The season
of Christmas and particularly Christmas Day is a time of celebration and
joy. We celebrate the eternal Word
becoming flesh, God becoming one like us and living with us.
We have
numerous Christmas parties, decorate the Christmas tree, indulge in giving
gifts and so on. This year these
celebrations will be dampened because of the pandemic. Healthcare workers are exhausted, hospitals
are overcrowded, jobs and lives have been lost.
There is fear and anxiety all around.
Public health officials warn against small gatherings. Attending an in-person Eucharist in some
places will not be possible. Even the
Vatican has cancelled many of its Christmas events.
In the midst
of the gloominess brought about by the pandemic, we read in Isaiah “upon
those who dwelt in the land of gloom, a light has shone.” (Isaiah 9:1-6). Pope Francis after his December 6 Angelus
reminded us that no pandemic or crisis can extinguish the light of Christmas,
the light that is Jesus who reveals to us God’s love and who makes infinite
goodness shine on the world. As we
grapple with our fears and anxieties, the gospel tells us to not be afraid for unto
us has been born a savior who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:1-14).
So today we’re
given much needed hope to help us deal with the difficulties and challenges of
this pandemic. But we’re also invited to
be channels of hope to those who most need it as we strive to overcome the
numerous inequalities and injustices that exist in our world and that the
pandemic has revealed. Perhaps this
pandemic Christmas might be a good time for us to truly allow the meaning of
Christmas to enter our hearts and transform our lives.
And behold, God is born anew in and among
us. And a multitude of the heavenly host
sing “Glory to God in the highest.”
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