Celebrate Christmas in our hearts
by: Peter James Obera
Christmas in our hearts a familiar words from a popular song of Jose Mari Chan, we always hear this song in every Christmas season in radio stations or in a Christmas playlists that been played in malls. Christmas in our very own understanding is all about giving gifts, Christmas carols, Christmas parties, noche buenas and etc. Yet some of us viewed Christmas just a mere social celebration, materialize and secularize centered on enjoyment and materials that are we received, it so sad that some of us doesn’t place Christ centered in this celebration but a commercialized Santa Claus instead, which every children in these days looking forward on their chimneys. We tend to forgot to celebrate Christmas in our hearts even do the song of that same title we hear doesn’t even remind us.
In this Christmas I give time to meditate and reflect to seek on how to celebrate the real Christmas in our hearts. I have the Four Points of celebrating real Christmas to which is taken from the context of the Saints, Popes and in the Gospels.
First is by cleaning our Houses and its paths: Way back during the Advent it is a preparation for Christmas and in our every house we tend to clean and decorate some of beautiful decors and our streets filled with beautiful lanterns and Christmas lights which are pleasing to our eyes and a great sign that Christmas is coming. But these are just “external” if we try to look on the Liturgical color of the Church it is purple, a color for penance and repentance. So what does it mean? It only mean that in the time of Advent we must clean also our “internal houses” ourselves, our hearts. If some of us are familiar with the readings during Advent. St. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Our Lord calling us for a conversion of our lives, in this reading:
“A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his path. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways plains: and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” (Luke 3:4-6)
How come we welcome Christ in this Christmas if in the first place the paths toward to our houses are blocked, crooked and rough? How can we make our path straight and plain? A quote from Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI on preparation for the coming of the Lord explained on how.
“Therefore, John’s appeal goes far beyond and deeper than a call to a sober lifestyle: it is a call for inner change, starting with the recognition and confession of our sins.” (Pope Benedict XVI, December 4 2011 Angelus, St. Peter square,Va.)
It is humility and repentance by these we will able to clean our Houses and its path to fully welcome Christ coming. We must clean our Houses from hatred, jealousy, pride and guilt of sins and decorate it with Faith, Hope and Love of God. By these our house will be more beautiful than “external” decors.
Second is place a Belen in our Hearts: Every Christmas Belen (Miniature of Nativity scene of our Lord) will never be absent in our homes especially for the Filipino Catholics. Belen is Spanish word for Bethlehem which in Hebrew word “House of Bread” a place where Jesus Christ the Bread of Life and the Word of God and Love incarnate born. So why it is Belen is significant to our change? Aside that Belen is a decoration or an “Icon”. Belen is an image of peace, harmony and humility it depict the happiest moment in the Salvation history. The hardship of Mary and Joseph for finding a right place for Jesus Christ birth it mirrored to us the struggle of our life like finding a right place to live in peace and to love. There are 2 things to consider placing a Belen in our Hearts. First a spiritual pilgrimage to Bethlehem and second an internal Belen that would be placed in our hearts.
First is the Spiritual pilgrimage to Bethlehem. St. Josemaria Escriva shared his words about spiritual pilgrimage to Bethlehem.
“Make your way to Bethlehem, go up to the Child, take him in your arms and dance him, say warm and tender things to him, and press him close to your heart.” (St. Josemaria point 345 of The Forge)
In order to find Christ is to make way to Bethlehem like the Three Magi who travelled all day long just to find Christ, without any further knowledge on what lies ahead. By their Faith and the Grace of God they found Christ in a humble stable of farm animals. What is the connection of this? It simply has a desire to seek Christ and when you found Him place Him in your heart by that you will find peace (Pax Christi).
“But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God,”
(John 1:12)
Second is to place an internal Belen on our hearts. When Joseph and Mary find a place of shelter for Jesus birth they beg on the owners of every house in Bethlehem but all of them are denied on their request. Upon this we must be always open for the coming of our Lord. But how do we know that Christ is knocking in our doors? By providing a charitable act to the poor that Jesus taught us:
“Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:31-40)
Christmas is not just a mere celebration but a season where anyone can practice of being a Saint. The Holy Family in the Belen demonstrated to us the virtues of sanctity. The Purity of Christ, the Humility of Mary and the Devotion of Joseph, by this virtues of Belen we must celebrate Christmas with Purity, Humility and Devotion. St. Francis of Assisi created this concept of Belen in reminder to us that the humble birth of Jesus must placed in our every hearts.
Third is rest Christ in our Mangers: As we all know that Christ was born in a stable and the manger served as Christ’s crib to rest him on the cold night of Christmas. Manger is a tool or a feeder for the sheep and made of wood. Let must see the symbolisms of Manger to understand what really is. When Christ is placed in a manger first he is our Good Shepherd for his sheep and second is Christ is the Bread of Life as we the Sheep feeds on his Body it overshadowed the Altar where the Holy Sacrifice of the Eucharist is offered. Third is the Manger is made of wood overshadowed that he will be crucified for the atonement of our sin and lastly the Manger symbolized our Hearts. We must focus on Manger symbolized as our hearts. If we try to look that an empty Manger is a heart that without Christ, it is essential that we must rest Christ in our hearts. Even a great saint St. Augustine once said this.
“My Heart is restless until it rest in you” (St. Augustine)
Placing Christ in a empty Manger is been part of St. Augustine’s conversion as St. Paul said:
“For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shine in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. “ (2 Corinthians 4:6)
Darkness often associated to emptiness but when Christ is finally placed in there it will filled with Light of Hope. But how do we place Christ in our Manger? By embracing Him and receiving Him in communion it is important to get prepared on His arrival by doing repentance, confessing our sins and penance in order to fully receive Him. It is important to go to the Mass during Christmas than prioritizing a party which is Christ was not there. Christ is always knocking our doors finding a place in our house to be rest in our Mangers it is up to us if we deny him just like the owners of the houses on Bethlehem. Let be our Mangers be beautiful and comfortable to us and to Our Lord.
Fourth and last is Light a Parol in our Hearts: Parol is a Christmas lantern that mimics the “Star of Bethlehem” a star that guides the Three Magi to our Lord and it symbolized hope in this Christmas. As we know in these days the effect of Consumerism is now affecting to us, that we are incomplete without buying some stuffs that satisfies us. If we cannot buy things that we crave in this Christmas we felt empty and frustrations struck upon us. Much worst is the impact of this consumerism that people in these days can’t enjoy Christmas because of financial crisis they cannot celebrate Christmas the way they want. So Christmas would be meaningless for these people. Aside from consumerism there are this series of tragedies that happens to the people who were victims of typhoon and other calamities. Even some people who were lost special someone on their life; instead of being filled of joy they are now filled with sorrows. But the question is how can we give the light on these people? To give a light to this people we need Christ as The Light, St. John Paul II give his words:
“It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is He who provoked you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is He who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is He who reads in your heart your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle.
“It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be ground down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.” (St. John Paul II)
As we the bearer of the Light of Christ we must share His Light to the people who are in darkness.
“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)
In this Christmas we must share the light of hope to the people who are in grief, sorrow and emptiness we must be a Christmas in living. An immaterial gift that heals a person this is might be the greatest gift giving in this Christmas.
It is wonderful to celebrate Christmas filled with joy of Hope, warmth of Love and assurance of good faith. Christmas is not only a material joy but a celebration of Love; it is a season on which each of us given a chance to practice to become a Saint. It is a once a year celebration but forever cherished its values by sharing it to our family, friends and those who are in grief. The good way also to celebrate Christmas is that to pray one another that may wounds in our hearts must be heal.
“Christmas is joy, religious joy, an inner joy of light and peace.” (Pope Francis)
Merry Christmas to all and spend Christmas with Christ in our Hearts!!!
"Gloria in excelsis Deo!!!"
