Dedications

The meaning of Advent is arrival of an important person

For us Catholics there cannot be anyone more important than the arrival of the birth of Christ which we commemorate at Christmas. At the time of Christ birth, there was no room at any Inn for Joseph and Mary leaving them with no choice but to seek refuge in a manger. Today's world the challenge is different. There will be plenty of room in Churches but the laity maybe restricted in numbers that can attend Mass on Christmas Eve. The pandemic precaution may leave us with no room in an Empty Church or open spaces where we would celebrate the birth of Christ. What a dichotomy? Empty spaces which maybe occupied by a virus that we cannot see.

There was no place in any of the Inns when Christ was born. The question today, is there a place IN our hearts to accommodate Christ? The Christ which is naked, hungry and lonely in human beings in our world. Not just a show of a Christ we display in a Crib, and then pack him in a dark box till next Christmas. It's time we illuminate the way we live that will show the world what it is to be Christ like. Even the 3 wise men needed a star to guide them to the birth place of Christ. What we end up is hanging a star outside our windows.

Is the Pandemic a boon or a bane? A boon to realize that God cannot be restricted or emancipated to a place of worship. A boon to awaken to the reality, that God is not an entity only to be worshipped but manifested in our actions, words and deeds. On the contrary religion as we practiced in the pre COVID19 period was a bane that bound us in a Church, with rituals and obligations. An invisible virus proved that our invisible God never asked or needed any of it. Practices or sacraments which never really got us close to God, but a reason to party with celebrations at baptism, communion, confirmation, marriage or ordination. 

So too with Christmas, masses regaled to a fashion parade. Sometimes the wardrobe adorned at mass during Christmas would make one wonder are we dressing up or some forgot to dress. Are we advertising designer labels of world’s leading fashion brands or are we celebrating the birth of a king who was born in swaddling clothes. A King born in a manger with stars as light that twinkled and not the flashy lights we display, and then complain of carbon emitting polluting methods through which most electricity is generated. Even Pope Francis spoke critically the way the Nativity scene was displayed at the Vatican currently. Pope Francis was even extremely critical to the levels of consumerism Christmas has been regaled too. It’s all about me, how I feel and how much I have, when it should be all about Christ in the down trodden? How good you can make them feel and how much you can share?

Like Pharma companies who would be making a kill in profits with a vaccine that is allegedly a hopeful cure for COVID19, similarly has been multinationals making a kill with Christmas. Killing Christ at his birth itself. Crucifying him way before Judas sold Him for 30 pieces of silver. We need to change and maybe COVID19 is a message that we need to display Christ through our lives as ‘Joy to the World’ and not just display Him in a Crib as a ‘Toy to the World.’

# posted by Sunny Fernandes @ 7:20 AM 3 Comments