“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believed in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
How appropriate, then, it is to contemplate the beginning of the greatest mystery ever written with renewed fervor as we prepare our hearts for Christ’s birth this Christmas. Had Jesus not entered the world as a human being, no person could have been redeemed. His death on the Cross was required for mankind to gain eternal life. This, in short, is the message of the coming of Christ and the very essence of redemption.
We must briefly pause at the thought of original sin. In God’s eyes, the fallen human condition was pitiful—the trespass so grave that it could only have been atoned for by the suffering and death of Jesus, our Lord. No other form of recompense would have sufficed to elevate the human soul into a state of regained perfection. Had God not intervened by giving up a part of His Being, we, the fallen people, would have remained lost for all eternity, unable to break the shackles of sin and incapable of ever attaining our predestined state of spiritual excellence.
No other earthly gift could have achieved what Christ’s mission accomplished for the glorification of mankind.
Christmas, a time when the Scriptures came alive in proclaiming the Good News that Emmanuel is among us, is thus the beginning of our hope—the ushering in of a new era. Jesus chose poverty in entering this world. Why did the King of kings so decide? He could have opted for a royal descent, yet He did the exact opposite. By doing so, He made clear from the very beginning that His mission was not only unique in nature, but also singular in purpose.
Jesus bowed to the afflicted, the sick, the outcast, and the forgotten. Through them, He sought to convert the arrogant, the mighty, the self-righteous, and the unjust. He became man so as to save souls at risk of perdition, wherever they were, however numerous, and in whatever lamentable state of existence. His mission was one of universal healing, not of global grandstanding. His calling was that of transforming human hearts, not of seeking public approval.
Before we see Jesus face to face, it remains a mystery to all why the Son of God did not spare Himself the agony of atoning for our sins. We can rightfully assume that He did not wish to see our lives wasted, for we are created in His likeness. Had He accepted such a fate, He would also have given up some elements of Himself, inasmuch as He is intrinsically part of every human being.
Since death has no power over God, the very thought that God would allow certain fibers of Himself to be cast into shadow is unthinkable. Whatever the Almighty creates in His image carries His eternal imprint; thus, the removal of our sins through the sacrifice Jesus offered—and thereby our liberation from eternal condemnation—became the only viable means of correcting our failing.
Pure love—as God is defined—corrects all wrong. It does so through the outpouring of love; and as Jesus Himself repeatedly said, there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for the sake of others. Precisely because of this nature of the Divine, there was no other way to heal the world than through redemption.
This is why Christ was born into this world. This is why we celebrate Christmas.
But even God’s brilliant design would not have come to pass had Mary, the Mother of God, not freely accepted her role as Co-Redemptrix. Had she decided against God’s plan, which in theory remained possible, there would be no Christmas—as we know it—to celebrate, no hope, and no jubilant news to proclaim.
We received the gift of Christmas because of Mary’s eternal wisdom and because of God’s sensitivity in inviting Jesus’s Mother into His mission of redemption. God could have done everything by Himself, but He desired our participation—through Mary—in fulfilling the prophecies of Scripture.
This, then, is the vision of a loving, humble, and most sensitive God; the sight of a Supreme Authority who changes the face of the world through compassion, inclusiveness, and forgiveness.
Before Christ’s birth, generations anxiously awaited the coming of the Messiah. They passed away hoping that His earthly presence would soon manifest itself. Some 2,000 years ago, the prophecy of old became flesh, and since then the good news of Christ’s coming has been known to mankind—imprinted upon the hearts of His followers. This knowledge will endure until the end of time, when Jesus will reappear in His glorified presence and make all things new.
We thus celebrate Christmas in memory of this holy event. It is worth remembering that Christmas need not be confined to one particular day of the year. The feast of the coming of Christ can be observed every day, every single moment in time when God, freely invited, enters a person’s heart to cleanse it of guilt and torment and to purify it for a loving encounter with the Creator of life.
FAITHBOUND 