In the Christian world, Christmas represents
an important celebration commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. But, at
the same time, Christmas is a universal celebration and commemoration that
marks the value and historical legacy that the life, work, and message of Jesus
represents and holds for all humanity.
Jesus of Nazareth, who as Christians, we confess as the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of God, the Lord of History, light of the world, bread of Life, Good Shepherd, the beginning and end of history, was—undoubtedly—a unique, peculiar man or, in the words of his apostle Paul, a "new" and novel man.
The journey of Jesus on earth was so impactful that we count the years of the official history of humanity, that of the West, and that of almost all the peoples of the earth starting from his birth.
And what did Jesus do to cause such an impact on the history of humanity? What is so great and monumental about the story of his life that makes it so valid twenty centuries after his birth? What was so impressive and monumental about his existence resides simply and uniquely in living and loving, in living to love, in understanding life as a gift from God in order to dedicate it in service—also as a gift—to all, especially the weakest, the impoverished, those who have been "discarded" from our society.
His experience of love, the gift of his own life to all, sprang from the recognition of God as the Father of all and, consequently, the recognition of all men as brothers, sons of the same God, Creator, and Father of compassion and mercy.
A human being like us, deeply human, this Israelite male, from the land of Judah, a colony—at the time—of the Roman Empire—a son, from a manger and later a carpenter’s workshop, of the peasants Joseph and Mary, an emigrant, being a child in Egypt and then in Nazareth, he reached his thirties on the dusty roads of his homeland to preach what— from his own experience—can make us happy: to live the purpose of man that God has for every man who comes to this world, to live as children of God and brothers of all, loving each other.
He met with some fishermen friends, who later spread throughout the then-known world the teachings of their teacher, the Nazarene. The people followed him because no one had ever spoken with his authority, that is, with his coherence between what he preached and what he lived, between what he demanded and what he delivered, between what he believed and what he proclaimed.
Loving heals all kinds of physical and spiritual diseases. Those who meet Him, discover and meet the love of God and feel relieved, healed, liberated, happy, saved. ... He spends his time doing good. He lives and preaches a good and new life that sprouts from within, from the heart of man, because he understands that if man is good, he will bear good fruits. ... With his novel, and therefore, scandalous, facts and words, he announces and denounces and enters into conflict with the authorities of his people and of his time who kill him on a cross, in the same way they had killed the great prophets of his people and as they continue killing all those involved with the man and the truth throughout history and in every corner of the world.
But his life’s purpose did not die with him in the tomb; it continued through twenty centuries of history, being vindicated, followed, and, hopefully, lived by those who are called his disciples: Christians, who confess him alive and resurrected, present in the life of each believer and in the life of each Christian community faithful to his "gospel."
The greatness, then, of the life of Jesus of Nazareth consists and paradoxically coincides with his smallness, with the simplicity of living that for which we were created: for and because of love and to live our daily lives extraordinarily well doing good.
Before everything and everyone, Jesus of Nazareth is a free man. He is a liberator in the face of ambition and greed, in the face of hatred and resentment, in the face of what the powerful will say, in the face of selfishness and lies, in the face of pride and hypocrisy, in the face of servility and injustice, in the face of violence and death ... A man who, with the trust, hope, and dependence of his life placed in God, lives bravely and fearlessly. Jesus, thus and also, is a man for us.
Because of all this, the life of Jesus consisted of—not only for his disciples—a model of life, a "Way, Truth and Life" for every man and woman of good will. In the presence of the life and message of Jesus, all our best yearnings, our deepest human tendencies, our best desires for good are clarified and enlightened.
But at the same time, amidst our current and difficult circumstances at the national and global levels, how we lack the authenticity of Jesus of Nazareth in today’s men and women! How the world needs men and women with the authority and coherence of life shown by the carpenter of Nazareth! How distant and lacking in the world today are the criteria, principles, and values lived and preached by Jesus of Nazareth! How far we are from realizing the Christian utopia of a world in which we can all live together as brothers! How much we need to live in the truth, love, justice, forgiveness, hope, and abundant life lived and preached by Jesus of Nazareth!
The life of Jesus of Nazareth and his message are, then, an obligatory reference, a call, a path, a task for all of us who long for a happy existence and a better world, living in peace, living more justly—a world that is more livable, more fraternal, supportive, compassionate, and humane.
For all these reasons, Christmas is a big feast day, a Christian holiday, and a universal celebration, because the purpose and message of the life of the child in the manger in Bethlehem are still valid, because today the deeds and words of the Nazarene are needed more than ever, in a world that cries out for justice, truth, peace, and abundant forms of life and humanity and because the carpenter's gospel of Nazareth is about to start.
Jesus of Nazareth, who as Christians, we confess as the Messiah, the Savior, the Son of God, the Lord of History, light of the world, bread of Life, Good Shepherd, the beginning and end of history, was—undoubtedly—a unique, peculiar man or, in the words of his apostle Paul, a "new" and novel man.
The journey of Jesus on earth was so impactful that we count the years of the official history of humanity, that of the West, and that of almost all the peoples of the earth starting from his birth.
And what did Jesus do to cause such an impact on the history of humanity? What is so great and monumental about the story of his life that makes it so valid twenty centuries after his birth? What was so impressive and monumental about his existence resides simply and uniquely in living and loving, in living to love, in understanding life as a gift from God in order to dedicate it in service—also as a gift—to all, especially the weakest, the impoverished, those who have been "discarded" from our society.
His experience of love, the gift of his own life to all, sprang from the recognition of God as the Father of all and, consequently, the recognition of all men as brothers, sons of the same God, Creator, and Father of compassion and mercy.
A human being like us, deeply human, this Israelite male, from the land of Judah, a colony—at the time—of the Roman Empire—a son, from a manger and later a carpenter’s workshop, of the peasants Joseph and Mary, an emigrant, being a child in Egypt and then in Nazareth, he reached his thirties on the dusty roads of his homeland to preach what— from his own experience—can make us happy: to live the purpose of man that God has for every man who comes to this world, to live as children of God and brothers of all, loving each other.
He met with some fishermen friends, who later spread throughout the then-known world the teachings of their teacher, the Nazarene. The people followed him because no one had ever spoken with his authority, that is, with his coherence between what he preached and what he lived, between what he demanded and what he delivered, between what he believed and what he proclaimed.
Loving heals all kinds of physical and spiritual diseases. Those who meet Him, discover and meet the love of God and feel relieved, healed, liberated, happy, saved. ... He spends his time doing good. He lives and preaches a good and new life that sprouts from within, from the heart of man, because he understands that if man is good, he will bear good fruits. ... With his novel, and therefore, scandalous, facts and words, he announces and denounces and enters into conflict with the authorities of his people and of his time who kill him on a cross, in the same way they had killed the great prophets of his people and as they continue killing all those involved with the man and the truth throughout history and in every corner of the world.
But his life’s purpose did not die with him in the tomb; it continued through twenty centuries of history, being vindicated, followed, and, hopefully, lived by those who are called his disciples: Christians, who confess him alive and resurrected, present in the life of each believer and in the life of each Christian community faithful to his "gospel."
The greatness, then, of the life of Jesus of Nazareth consists and paradoxically coincides with his smallness, with the simplicity of living that for which we were created: for and because of love and to live our daily lives extraordinarily well doing good.
Before everything and everyone, Jesus of Nazareth is a free man. He is a liberator in the face of ambition and greed, in the face of hatred and resentment, in the face of what the powerful will say, in the face of selfishness and lies, in the face of pride and hypocrisy, in the face of servility and injustice, in the face of violence and death ... A man who, with the trust, hope, and dependence of his life placed in God, lives bravely and fearlessly. Jesus, thus and also, is a man for us.
Because of all this, the life of Jesus consisted of—not only for his disciples—a model of life, a "Way, Truth and Life" for every man and woman of good will. In the presence of the life and message of Jesus, all our best yearnings, our deepest human tendencies, our best desires for good are clarified and enlightened.
But at the same time, amidst our current and difficult circumstances at the national and global levels, how we lack the authenticity of Jesus of Nazareth in today’s men and women! How the world needs men and women with the authority and coherence of life shown by the carpenter of Nazareth! How distant and lacking in the world today are the criteria, principles, and values lived and preached by Jesus of Nazareth! How far we are from realizing the Christian utopia of a world in which we can all live together as brothers! How much we need to live in the truth, love, justice, forgiveness, hope, and abundant life lived and preached by Jesus of Nazareth!
The life of Jesus of Nazareth and his message are, then, an obligatory reference, a call, a path, a task for all of us who long for a happy existence and a better world, living in peace, living more justly—a world that is more livable, more fraternal, supportive, compassionate, and humane.
For all these reasons, Christmas is a big feast day, a Christian holiday, and a universal celebration, because the purpose and message of the life of the child in the manger in Bethlehem are still valid, because today the deeds and words of the Nazarene are needed more than ever, in a world that cries out for justice, truth, peace, and abundant forms of life and humanity and because the carpenter's gospel of Nazareth is about to start.
Merry Christmas!
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