Christmas Mass
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran
Once up a time there was a class of small children who wanted to have a nativity play. One of the children, a very tall boy wanted to be a shepherd and carry the sheep on his shoulders, but the teacher decided that he should be the innkeeper who would drive away Mary and Joseph away from the inn. When Mary and Joseph came to the inn, the little innkeeper told them loudly that there was no room for them. Mary turned to Joseph and began to cry. The little innkeeper turn back to them and said, there is no room here in the inn but you can take my room. He showed the spirit of Christmas that there is room for everyone.
Christmas is the feast of God sending us a Savior. The Incarnation of Jesus as the True God and true man was to save us from our sins. As our Savior, Jesus freed us from the slavery of sin and atoned for our sins through his suffering, death, and Resurrection. Every Christmas reminds us that we need a Savior every day of our lives.
Christmas is the Feast of God’s sharing his love with us. Jesus, as our Savior, brought the Good News that our God is a loving, forgiving, and merciful God. He demonstrated by his life and teaching how god our heavenly father loves us and forgives us. All of His miracles were signs of His divine love. At the end, Jesus gave his life and died on the cross to atone for our sins and make us children of God. Each Christmas reminds us that sharing love with others is our Christian privilege and duty. Let Jesus be reborn in our hearts and lives, not only during Christmas but every day. His presence within us will allow us to share our love in words and deeds.
Christmas is the feast of Emmanuel, God living with us and within us. The New Testament begins with the birth of Christ. He has now come to live with us and continues to live with us during our entire life. He lives in us in the sacraments, especially in the holy Eucharist.
Christmas reminds us that we are to bring God to those around us by loving them as Jesus did. This is the best Christmas gift we can give or receive today.
Today the new king is born to us and He is not like any secular king. The first people to find out about his birth are not the royal officials, religious officials, military leaders, or the wealthy elite. The first people to be informed are the shepherds whose social and political status would be among the lowest ranks. The angels announced the birth of Jesus and declared he is the Messiah and the lord. There is no palace or royal household for him, he is wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in the manger. There is no celebration, only silence. We are aware that Christmas is the birthday of Jesus and we share it too since we are reborn as children of God at our baptism. This is the news of great Joy and he is the great light that has appeared in the world.
When Jesus first came into the world over two thousand years ago, His arrival was to fulfill the promise of God. The Bible tells us that from the Fall of Adam and Eve, God promised to send a redeemer. The people waited eagerly for him. Sometimes they were faithful to God and sometimes they were not. The birth of Jesus is a reminder that God is faithful forever and has not forgotten us. It is a reminder of how much God loves us. It is a reminder that God has reached down to us, so we may reach up to Him with praises and glory in thanksgiving for our salvation.
Let us enjoy the true spirit of Christmas by accepting Jesus the Christmas Baby as our Savior – God. Let us invite him to rule our lives and ask him for the strengthening power of his Holy Spirit to do God’s will every day of our lives. Let us be like the little innkeeper that we talked about earlier, and make room for the Child Jesus in our hearts.
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