Do you know what the true meaning of Christmas is?
Are you a person who thinks that Christmas is just a family gathering on the night of December 25th to exchange gifts and taste delicious dishes? What is the value that contemporary man attributes to Christmas? Is Christmas really just a time for shopping, for Santa Claus, for exchanging gifts, for socializing, for colorful shop windows, for meeting colleagues from school, college, work? There would be other questions here, however, let's just leave this one more: do we, in fact, currently live the true meaning of Christmas?
Of course, we do not intend to answer any of these questions, but only to present tips so that you can better understand the true meaning of Christmas.
And here's the first tip: Christmas is not just one night, one day, or one moment. With this, we are saying that Christmas can be any day, not necessarily on December 25th, as the Christian calendar states.
Secondly, Christmas is a time of introspection, of interior reflection, that is, of preparing our heart to receive the Son of God and especially to change our lives! In this sense, Christmas is the imposition of hope – and, why not say, certainty! – that God wants to give each of us the strength to embrace the good, live well and do good.
The third tip is as follows: Christmas is synonymous with party, light, life. Joy at the birth of the Son of God. In this regard, the Gospel of St. Luke (2.6:7-XNUMX) states: “While they were in Bethlehem, the days for childbirth were fulfilled, and Mary gave birth to her firstborn Son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, for there was no room for them in the inn.” In other words, the true meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of the Baby Jesus!
In fourth place, Christmas is a sign of simplicity, humility and not wealth, luxury, power. In this way, the Son of God was born in the midst of poverty to emphasize the contrast between the human and divine aspects of Christmas, in order to prevent us from paying more attention to the former than to the latter. In this regard, Saint Augustine (354-430) states: “After original sin, our nature became so rude that if the Child Jesus were born in a sumptuous palace, many people would stop to admire the building and relegate the Savior to a second place”.
in fifth place, Christmas is synonymous with rebirth, with new life. A time to change our lives, develop new attitudes, new values, new habits. Thus, it is Jesus himself who says: “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your servant.” (Matthew 20.26:27-XNUMX). Anyway, the true meaning of Christmas is not having money, power, social position, but being humble, kind, gentleman, sensible, honest, kind, fair, supportive...
The penultimate tip is as follows: Christmas is a proper period for the practice of goodness, justice and love. It is a period in which the human being is more receptive to those values ​​that differentiate us from other animals. If Christmas is just a night when families gather for supper and exchange gifts, it's not Christmas. So the real meaning of Christmas is to love. In the words of Saint John (3.16:17-XNUMX), “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world, not that he might judge the world, but that the world through him might be saved.”
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Lastly, Christmas is God's invitation to be with the Child Jesus in the cave of Bethlehem. And what should be our attitude? Imitate the shepherds who left in a hurry to adore the newborn or stay in front of the television or cell phone on Christmas Eve? What do you prefer? I prefer to do good, go out to those most in need, read the Word of God, practice charity, be honest, fair… This, for me, is the essence of the true meaning of Christmas! And to you?
