Keep Christ in Christmas

With the rise of secularism growing in our country, it is more important than ever that we realize that our citizenship now lies in heaven.  It is important, especially during this Christmas season, that we understand that we can only find the fullness of salvation in Christ, not in worldly politics or material possessions, but in Christ alone.  It is clear in sacred scripture that our  savior was born into this world to save us all from our sins.  He was born of the Virgin Mary so that He can show us all the way to new life—a life filled with His blessings.

The problem however, with the rise of secularism, is that many of us have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas.  It is so easy for us to get caught up in the busyness of the season (buying gifts, wrapping presents and writing Christmas cards) that we get to the point where we feel overwhelmed and burdened with this glorious feast.  We forget why we are celebrating this season in the first place.  Instead of celebrating the birth of Christ, we are spending more time doing so many other things.  We are being consumed with consumerism.  We go into the stores and are so concerned about getting everything that we want instead of what we need.  Something special and something essential has been missing from this holiday.  We do not hear much about our savior during this special time of the year.  He is somewhere buried behind all the political correctness that exists within our society.

Yet, the reason why we come to mass week after week is to celebrate the life, the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We come to liturgy every Sunday to give thanks and praise to almighty God for sending us the greatest gift that He has ever given to all of humanity—the gift of His only son Jesus Christ.  He sent Jesus into our lives not only to free us from our sins, but to bring us all the gift and the hope of eternal salvation—salvation without end.  And it is during this time of the year where we highlight in a very special way the birth of our savior.  We celebrate the fact that He came into our lives to embrace us in our weakness and to give us new hope and new strength in times of darkness and sorrow.  He was born in a dark and cold stable so that He could be a source of light and a source of encouragement for us all.  He came into our lives to bring us meaning and purpose.  He came to show us all the way to peace and salvation.

I am not saying that we should not enjoy the richness of our Christmas tradition in all of its festivity and entirety.  What I am saying is that we must not lose sight of the true meaning behind Christmas.  We cannot forget about why we celebrate this glorious feast in the first place.  It is important that we keep Christ in this celebration because He is the reason for the season.  His name is found in the word Christmas itself.  Without Him there would be no celebration whatsoever.  Without the birth of Christ we would still be living in total darkness. We would still be living in our sins.  Therefore, my hope and prayer for us all during this glorious time of the year, is that we really take the time to appreciate the gift and the wonder of our Lord Jesus Christ lying so peacefully in the manger.  I hope and pray that we will all remember just how important He is for us; that a life without Him would be completely empty and meaningless and so much more burdensome for those of us who believe.  I hope and pray that we will spend some extra time in prayer reflecting on the goodness and the richness of our Lord.  But even more importantly, I hope that we will be inspired once again to go a step further and to join the early shepherds and the choir of angels in proclaiming the glory of the Lord; in sharing this precious gift with the rest of the world—a world that longs to hear His voice.  I hope and pray that this Christmas season will be different and better than ever.  Hopefully, it will be more meaningful for us.  I pray that Christ will be the center and the focus of this glorious time of the year so that together we can help Him transform the world into a world that longs to experience His peace.

Let us open our hearts to Christ so that we can allow this Christmas season to embrace us in all of its beauty and wonder.  Let us allow the peace and the joy that comes from this year’s celebration to fill our hearts and remain with us forever in a kingdom that will endure forever.  Moreover, please be assured of my continued prayers on behalf of Msgr. Walden and the entire parish staff.  And may you and all of your loved ones have a very merry and blessed Christmas and a happy and healthy new year!

Peace and blessings,
Father Patrick