Christmas Message by Father SOC
December 24, 2012
Christmas is a feast of
faith. Without faith, Christmas will only be a social festival. Christmas is a
Gift wrapped in love to be received in faith. Without faith, Christmas gift
giving is only a commercial gimmickry for profit and business gain. The merriment
of Christmas must be a fruit of faith. Wishing “Merry Christmas!” without faith
is no better than fools laughing madly without reason. Christmas can only be
merry because heaven burst forth in love and revealed to us the name of
God—Emmanuel, God with us.
Unfortunately, Christmas has
been claimed by everybody as a long weekend holiday of joy without remembering
Him who brought us that reason for joy
Unfortunately, Christmas has
become a season for festive lighting and amazing carnivals but people have
forgotten how difficult it must have been for Mary and Joseph to find a room in
the inn; the unfortunate couple continues to be rejected in our broken homes.
Unfortunately, Christmas has
become a season for bargain sales and street markets even as the buyers and
sellers seem to forget their immortal souls.
Unfortunately, Christmas has
only become an adjective to describe parties and salary bonuses because we have
forgotten that Christmas is an event of the past that must still continue to
happen through us.
Unfortunately, Christmas
carols have become romantic songs for loved ones we miss because people have
forgotten the angels that announced his birth, the sweetest carolers of all
times.
Unfortunately, Christmas
caroling has become a yearly fund raising occasion because people have put a
price tag into almost everything…and everyone.
Unfortunately, the simbang gabi is turning out to be just a Filipino
Christmas tradition without understanding that it was first meant to be a
thanksgiving novena for the gift of our Catholic faith that we now ridicule and
ignore and consider obsolete.
But thanks be to God, that in
spite of it all, Christmas is still the greatest feast of all because it
celebrates the birth of Jesus, the greatest gift of all. We must regain the
real merriment of Christmas and return to the real reason for the season. By
faith all these will be possible. Without faith, this season will become just
one of the pagan festivals. Christmas is God’s gift to us. Let us take it back
from those who have spoiled it; ourselves included.
Emmanuel, God with us,
increase our faith. Set our faith on fire again. Help us to live our faith with
courage against all odds. Use us to spread the fire of faith all over our land.
Lord, increase our faith! Emmanuel, strengthen our faith.
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