THE    TRUE       MEANING       OF       CHRISTMAS        

We have now begun the countdown to Christmas. The hurrying and scurrying about, anxious moments, financial worries etc.  Mustn’t forget the tree, lights, toys, presents, Christmas cards, food, wine, what’s on T V, and much more.  When and where does it all stop? Strangely something is missing.  I forgot, Christ is missing.  Nothing strange about that, He has been missing now for a couple of decades or more.  This brings me to ask the question, why is it still called Christmas when Christ is missing.  This amazes me, knowing that the birth of Christ is one of the three most important moments in the history of the human race.  The acceptance of our Blessed Mother to become the Mother of God, the birth of Christ, the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  On that holy night, heaven was so full of joy, God sent a choir of angels to announce in song, the wonder of this birth, Glory to God in the highest.  This night has been celebrated for over two thousand years worldwide.  Alas this devotion has been replaced by pagan rituals.  The hymn now says, Glory to the God of the high street.  Our obsessions for worldly things, leaves us with a void, emptiness.  By boxing day when all the turkey and ham has disappeared, T V is lousy, we are usually left with that deflated feeling.  Our minds now dwell on the coming new year.  Prospects of the coming year bring with it the normal uncertainty, boring prospects of another year.  Take note, this mind set is of our own choosing.  By omitting Christ from our lives we have abandoned the true source , of love, hope, and joy, namely, Jesus Christ our savour.  It is God’s love that gives us the strength and purpose to face all the new year will bring.  Let the material world belong to the very young at Christmas, while we can enhance their joy, by turning more to the spiritual message of Christmas.  Try to live this message of love and hope every day. We need to focus on our eternal future.  If we are not certain about our faith in God, the concept of eternal life is likely to become meaningless to us, like a fairytale that many people have outgrown.  If Christ is distant and Christ is the one who brings us to eternal life, then eternal life must also be distant, and therein lies the root of most of our problems.  By praying to God through His Blessed Mother it will be a reality for us to recover, no matter how slowly, our faith, trust, and love of God takes.  The salvation of our souls and that of our families lie in the choice we and our families make.  That is the true meaning of Christmas.                           

    

 Have a holy and wonderful Christmas.                     

May God bless you and all your families where ever they are

HUGO  MAGEE