Such is Christmas in our age.
But is this truly Christmas?
One of the greatest events in human history bore no resemblance to these festivities. The coming of the Messiah was announced to a simple young maiden in a small and almost forgotten village. After receiving this revelation, Mary hastened to serve her cousin Elizabeth. The journey to the humble town of Bethlehem was arduous, and upon their arrival, Mary and Joseph found not even a single place in the inn. There was no comfort, no luxury surrounding the birth of Jesus; and the first to behold him were shepherds, humble and sidelined by society. It was they who became the first heralds, recounting to all they met the wonders they had seen and heard. Thus, in this manner, the Son of God entered our humanity. This was the first Christmas.
In a world where extravagance has always held sway – where the costly, the pleasurable, the powerful, and the wealthy dominate – God himself, through the birth of Jesus, wished to show us that peace, and what is truly precious, arrives by another path. “Jesus was born in a humble stable, into a poor family. Simple shepherds were the first witnesses to this event. In this poverty heaven’s glory was made manifest. To become a child in relation to God is the condition for entering the kingdom. For this, we must humble ourselves and become little. Even more: to become “children of God” we must be “born from above” or “born of God”. (CCC 525–526)
Such was the experience of Thérèse of Lisieux who, at fourteen, still expected to find her shoes beneath the Christmas tree brimming with gifts. She would take offence at trifles and behave as a small child. That year, as she ascended the stairs, she overheard her father say, “Thank God this is the last time we shall do such a thing!” Instead of letting her heart grow wounded, Thérèse descended again, opened her gifts, and rejoiced as though she had heard nothing. Christmas of 1886 became for her a moment of profound conversion, teaching her to prize the small and simple things of life and to expect nothing. She would later write to her sister: “You know well that the Lord does not look at how many great deeds we accomplish, nor at their difficulty, but at the love with which we perform them.” (Letter to Céline) “Never miss a chance to make even a tiny sacrifice, here with a smile, there with a kind word; always perform the smallest actions well and do all things with love.” (The Story of a Soul)
Is this not the essence of the first Christmas? That God, who is Love, was born for you and for me in the humblest of surroundings, revealing thereby the immense power of small things. And so, whoever you are, in whatever circumstances you find yourself, with riches or without them, in joy or in adversity, you too may share in the grace of Christmas this year.
In the words of Saint John Paul II, “the mystery of Christmas invites us to rediscover the sanctifying power of small things carried out with great love. God became small so that we might not fear to draw near to him.” (Christmas Message, 1998)
