Dec 25, 2009, 12.00am IST
M P K Kutty.
M P K Kutty.
Christmas is a time for celebration. It is also a time when we are infused with a kind, forgiving and charitable spirit that enables us all to have a good time.
In the midst of all the festive celebrations, exchange of gifts and merrymaking, the purpose of the birth of Jesus Christ in a manger in Bethlehem might get forgotten. It was not the intention of Christ to launch one more religion, but to empower people to live the abundant life mindfully.
All was not well with the world when Jesus was born on earth. On going through the Sermon on the Mount delivered by Jesus, it becomes clear how far removed we were from holistic living. Life was by no means free of deceit.
Three factors cloud the life of an individual, According to the Bible these are: the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. Sin is implicit in all these and the so-called fall of man is a result of the Original Sin and this distanced him from God. It is the contention of the faith that Christ came to reconcile man with God. His death on the Cross on behalf of all of us accomplished this purpose to some extent. Christ’s birth, death and resurrection were part of a plan for the transformation of man so that he could be liberated so as to live to his full potential.
Jesus presented to people a set of values that seemed to be in contradiction with the standards followed in the world. In the words of Malcolm Muggeridge: “It was the poor, not the rich who were blessed, the weak, not the strong who were to be esteemed; the pure in heart, not the sophisticated and the worldly, who understood what life was about. Righteousness, not power, money or sensual pleasure, should be man’s pursuit. We should love our enemies, bless them that curse us, do good to them that hate us, and pray for them that use us, and in order that we may be worthy members of a human family whose Father is in Heaven.”
Man’s body, the Bible points out, is the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in him. When a person accepts Christ, this Spirit comes to work within and takes over his life. This opens up immense possibilities. The man who is led by the Spirit of God or the Spirit of Truth becomes filled with His love and power.
Thus empowered, the faithful find it possible to love unconditionally. This tallied with the deepest yearning of the human heart to love and be loved. St John emphasises that whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.
Christmas is a celebration of life. A historian wrote: “Jesus of Nazareth, without money and arms, conquered millions more than Alexander, Caesar, and Napoleon. He shed more light on things human and divine than all the philosophers and scholars combined; without the eloquence of the school, He spoke words of such wisdom such as were never spoken before and produced effects which lie beyond the reach of orator and poet. Without writing a single line, He has set pens in motion and furnished themes for more sermons, orations, discussion, and works of art, learned volumes, and sweet songs of praise. Born in a manger, and crucified as a malefactor, He came to control the destinies of many.”
Christmas, therefore is more than just a time to eat cakes and exchange gifts; it is also a time to reflect on how we need to uphold the standards of the One who came to give us the abundant life.