“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go …” These words came to my mind as I began to write this column for the Catholic Sun edition that will be published on the Thursday before Christmas. As I reacquainted myself with the lyrics of this Christmas song written by songwriter Meredith Willson, I was struck by its fifth verse:
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
Soon the bells will start
And the thing that will make ’em ring is the carol that you sing
Right within your heart.
In fact, the Psalm responses for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day invite us to do exactly what these lyrics suggest: to sing out and announce God’s goodness and the joy of salvation that Christ’s birth brings to our world! As Psalm 98:1 proclaims: “Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm.”
Yes, the marvelous deeds of our God! These are the gifts you and I are invited to unwrap this Christmas. One might wonder how we are to do so? What I would suggest is to do something I consider one of my favorite things to do — to sit before the manger scene and let it speak to me! What is God saying to me and to the rest of the human family in the events that surround Christ’s birth, and in the people and places that are part of it?
In his 2019 Apostolic Letter, Admirabile Signum, on the meaning and importance of the nativity scene, Pope Francis writes:
“The enchanting image of the Christmas crèche, so dear to the Christian people, never ceases to arouse amazement and wonder. The depiction of Jesus’ birth is itself a simple and joyful proclamation of the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. The nativity scene is like a living Gospel rising up from the pages of sacred Scripture. As we contemplate the Christmas story, we are invited to set out on a spiritual journey, drawn by the humility of the God who became man in order to encounter every man and woman. We come to realize that so great is his love for us that he became one of us, so that we in turn might become one with him” (#1).
The Holy Father goes on to say:
“Why does the Christmas crèche arouse such wonder and move us so deeply? First, because it shows God’s tender love: the Creator of the universe lowered himself to take up our littleness. The gift of life, in all its mystery, becomes all the more wondrous as we realize that the Son of Mary is the source and sustenance of all life. In Jesus, the Father has given us a brother who comes to seek us out whenever we are confused or lost, a loyal friend ever at our side. He gave us his Son who forgives us and frees us from our sins” (#3).
Finally, in words that connect us so intimately to the Eucharistic Revival that is ongoing here in the United States, the Pope notes:
“Coming into this world, the Son of God was laid in the place where animals feed. Hay became the first bed of the One who would reveal himself as ‘the bread come down from heaven’ (Jn 6:41). Saint Augustine, with other Church Fathers, was impressed by this symbolism: ‘Laid in a manger, he became our food’ (Sermon 189, 4). Indeed, the nativity scene evokes a number of the mysteries of Jesus’ life and brings them close to our own daily lives” (#2).
Indeed, the closeness of our God, that is what is at the heart of the Christmas celebration! And yet, you and I are invited to consider in this moment our own closeness to God and neighbor in response to the two Great Commandments we are called to observe as disciples of the Lord Jesus:
“The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mk 12:29-31).
I can’t help but wonder how different the world could be if in the coming new year, I really started to sing from the heart the new song that the cry of the Babe of Bethlehem brought into our world. A common sentiment is how we wish our world would change for the better! Yet, it seems that we look at it from the point of view as “something out there” — not necessarily having anything to do with me!
There are some who even want to blame God and religion for what is wrong with the world, while ignoring the simple fact that it is the human person trying to play God and overlooking what God has said, that is the real source of all the world’s troubles. As one Christmas greeting I received reminded me: “When it seems that despair dominates and darkness reigns, the Lord becomes one of us. Enlightens and sanctifies. Liberates and heals. Gives life and restores hope. God is close. God is with us!” In other words, we have the remedy, are we willing to take or use it?
It is hard to believe, but this is my last printed column for the year 2023. Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to thank the many readers who offer me such encouragement in having a regular column in The Catholic Sun. I wish to them and all the faithful of this Diocesan Church my prayerful best wishes for a blessed and merry Christmas! It is also my prayer for 2024, that you and I will teach the world to sing the new song the child of Bethlehem brings with his birth!
Joy, Peace, and Love this Christmas and into the New Year!
