FEAST OF:-
THE NATIVITY OF JESUS – 25TH DECEMBER
THE HOLY INNOCENTS – 28TH DECEMBER
There is no more ancient a feast day for the Church than the Nativity of Jesus or Christmas Day. It has a major role in the Liturgical Calendar. In fact the Liturgical Calendar begins with Advent, a time of preparation for the Celebration of the Nativity, the birth of Jesus.
Christmas Day itself and the whole week of Christmas is about giving and Receiving Gifts. We think this is a culture, but it is something else. We are giving gifts at Christmas because on that day God the Father gifted us HIS ONLY SON. When we celebrate Christmas we are celebrating this Greatest Gift of all – a Father’s Gift to us of His only begotten son!!
There are two aspects to a gift – Giving and Receiving. A gift is significant depending on how the Receiver receives it. When we receive the Gift of Jesus in the Eucharist, are we excited about it – whether at Christmas or on a Sunday, even more at daily Mass? We need to ask ourselves – ‘Do we cherish the Gift of Jesus which God the Father gave us even though He knew the ultimate result would be His Death on a Cross? If we don’t cherish this Gift, what is the use of the Giver giving it with All his Heart? John 3:16 says “God so loved the world that He gave His Only son, so that whoever believes in Him may not be lost, but have eternal life”.
WHY DID JESUS COME, that first Christmas in Bethlehem?
‘Jesus is the Reason for the season? is a phrase we have heard. In actual fact you and I, we are the Reason for the season. The reason why Jesus came is to show His Love Us; to show the Love of God just for YOU. He did not send an Angel to express His Love for us. He came Himself. Jesus came to enable us to have a relationship with God; to erase the wrong ideas about who God is. People have a misunderstanding of God. They think He is cold and harsh, waiting for us to make a mistake so that He can pounce on us and punish us immediately. God is not watching us from a distance. He is Emmanuel “God with us”. He is with us especially when we are in the lowest place in our life. If we want to see what God is really like, all we need to do is look at Jesus closely. Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father”.
THE HOLY INNOCENTS: Christmas is all things beautiful, yet during this most wonderful time, the Church invites us to celebrate the solemn feast of the Holy Innocents – the Youngest Martyrs. They were all boys – “2 years old and under”, who were killed by the order of King Herod. The Magi – the 3 Kings – had informed Herod that a king was born in Bethlehem. To have a rival to his throne was simply out of the question for Herod. He ordered the massacre of innocent boys in Bethlehem and in nearby areas, to make sure he wipes out the “King of the Jews” the Magi had told him about. We are horrified by this dastardly act, but this is what really happens when pride, greed for power, jealousy and selfishness come into play. This horrible act continues till today and is being done by so many people. What Herod did is pale in comparison to what has happened recently in our country and in other countries, in particular the millions of babies in the womb who have been killed by their own mothers in ABORTIONS.
The world we live in is full of danger especially for helpless and innocent children who are victims of abuse and child trafficking. There is no more a safe place for children not even in the womb of the mother. Let us be active and courageous defenders of life, especially the Unborn child and also of Children. We cannot allow the culture of abuse and death spread and increase. We should be Pro-Life now and for always. The feast of the Holy Innocents reminds us of the sacredness of Life from the moment of conception until the Person’s last breath. Let us steadfastly promote the Gift of Human Life.
The feast of the Holy Innocents, is “celebrated with a Gloria” because these baby boys in a very important way experienced the fullness and purpose of human life, which is to die for Jesus, who had come into the world to die for them and for us. Jesus would say later, “the one who seeks to save his life will lose it, but the one who loses his life for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel will save it”. The purpose of human life is to die for Jesus, in little and ordinary things and even in big and extraordinary ones. There are times in our life when things are simply not fair and not just. One thing we hold on to is that God will right every wrong in the end.
The Christmas message is about the Saviour, Jesus the Son of God, born in humble surroundings, who sacrificed His own life that we may have Eternal Life with Him in Heaven. Because of Jesus, your past is forgiven, you have a purpose for living and you have a Home in Heaven.
I wish you a Joy-filled, Grace-filled Christmas. May the Lord of Peace, Jesus, give you His Peace at all times and in every way. May Our Lord Jesus be with you and your family always.
-J. Rodrigues