Holiday season brings abundance of celebration

For many Christians, this time of year is celebrated with an abundance of holidays. We begin with Christmas, which celebrates the birth of Jesus. This birthday is unlike any other. When people gather for a loved one’s birthday, we do not celebrate the birth itself. Instead, people come together to recognize that this person is a gift to the world and that their presence is something worth celebrating. We are telling the person that he or she is valued. It is an expression of our appreciation and care. 

 

Christmas, on the other hand, is also a celebration of what God has done for us by sending Jesus, the second person of the Blessed Trinity, in the flesh, to bring salvation to his people. One can hardly imagine the vulnerability that divinity embraced in allowing Jesus, in his humanity, to be placed in the hands and care of fallen humanity. While still in the womb, Jesus was guided by Joseph to be born in a humble cave: in his poverty, the king of the universe is laid in a manger. At the end of his life, Jesus was led by Joseph of Arimathea to another cave, this time a grave he did not own, emphasizing his poverty. The difference is that the second cave would not be able to contain him. Having been given the message by an angel, the shepherds came to greet Jesus, perceiving that one day he would become the shepherd of all.

 

Epiphany, which marks the end of the twelve days of Christmas, celebrates the manifestation of Christ’s divinity. The three magi reveal his divine nature through the offering of gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold symbolizes his kingship, wisdom, and authority. Frankincense represents prayer, worship, and the divine nature of Christ. Myrrh, associated with death and burial, symbolizes suffering, mortality, and humanity. Through their understanding of the star, the three magi were able to offer proper worship to God.

 

A beautiful celebration of this season observed by many Christian denominations is the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Jesus spent the first thirty years of his life sanctifying family life and showing the world how important family is to our spiritual growth. Terms like domestic church, Christian family, and household faith are often used to describe the role of Christian families in the world today. As a small community of believers, the prayers of spouses for each other and parents for their children are powerful. It is mainly through the family that children learn how to pray, understand what it means to love, to be loved, to work together, and serve others for the good of everyone.

 

I am often impressed by the creative ways and unique opportunities parents use to pass on faith and strong virtues to their children. A few years ago, one family introduced me to their annual tradition of having each person pick one gift from under the tree to donate to someone in need. Since each gift was wrapped, the children did not know which of their toys would be given to another child who had fewer than they did. 

 

As stores focus on clearing their shelves, we are reminded to reflect on what God has done for us 2000 years ago and what He continues to do for our families today. May the New Year be filled with blessings that only the graces of the incarnation of the Son of God can bring.