There is a saying in Maltese Kristu ġie għal kulħadd! (i.e. Christ came into the world for everyone). This is true even in 2020, when the pandemic forced most countries into a lockdown and families could not gather… to some extent! Most people connected virtually, and were able to ‘gather’ via video sharing and phone calls; many individuals opened their presents and celebrated Christmas that way.
It gave us time to reflect on what we can learn from this pandemic. Surely, gathering in large numbers to celebrate was missing. However, it makes us wonder if it actually was different from the previous years after all. What is Christmas about for Christians at the end of the day? Is it the celebrations, the presents, the mouthwatering recipes? If one looks forward to Christmas merely for these worldly things, Christmas would then just be a celebration day like any other (i.e. a birthday or a graduation party). Yet Christmas is more than that. Christmas is the Word of God made flesh. Christmas is God becoming human, a baby. CHRISTmas is God’s initiative in communicating with humanity, His own creation.
Only when we understand this can we truly enjoy the celebrations, the presents and the mouthwatering recipes on CHRISTmas day. Christians celebrate because on Christmas day, God’s initiative to build a relationship with mankind is commemorated. What does this mean? This means that Christians are not alone in the world. Besides having one another, they have God by their side. Being born a poor baby in Bethlehem, Jesus experienced human reality (i.e. emotions, suffering, and even death). This helps Christians walk the way with the Lord because they know that He understands them since he has been there.
Jesus came into the world for each and every human being. Nobody is forced to believe in Him and to perceive Christmas in the way Christians do, yet nobody should feel left out. The Lord has His ways and means to reach our hearts, we just need to be open and ready to receive His invitation, especially on Christmas Day. God made sure that us Maltese get to know Him to the extent that Paul the Apostle ended up shipwrecked on our shores! We were pagans before that event but we were not afraid of welcoming the strangers, and in return we gained our faith!
Let us not forget to remember the beauty of Christmas. Share the joy with one another without looking at religion, race, gender, political parties. Be the means to someone’s path to salvation. This is the true meaning of Christmas, and of Christianity. Kristu ġie għal kulħadd.
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