The Real Meaning of Christmas

The Catholic Liturgy for Christmas Eve Mass. Gospel of St. Matthew 1:18-25.  Theme: The Real Meaning of Christmas

As both a father and a grandfather, I know that one of the biggest decisions to be made concerning the approaching birth of a child is the choice of a name.   A name is so significant, typically representing something hopeful for the child;  It’s something specially chosen since it is so much more than just a tag for identification. The same was true of Jesus and the choosing of his name.

God himself selected Jesus’ name and revealed it to both Mary and Joseph beforehand. An angel said to both of them at different times, “His name will be JESUS.”  Actually, it would be Yeshua in their native language and that's how Mary & Joseph called him (we would say Joshua in modern English). But we Christians have preserved the Latin form of his name as Jesus, in order to distinguish him from many others called Joshua, which was an extremely popular name in his day. But in any case and in every language the name means “God saves” and that was and still is that holy child's mission on planet Earth.

But the gospel also gives us what we might call Jesus' nickname. A nickname typically expresses some trait or characteristic that really stands out in a person and Jesus' nickname was EMMANUEL which means, "God is with us". And when we put the two names together we get the full picture of who he is and why he came among us. When we put those two names together we arrive at the true meaning and uniqueness of Christmas: Jesus-Emmanuel or in English: God saves-God is among us.

He is our Savior precisely because he is God-with-us; a god who is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get dirty with us in the messiness and busy-ness of being human. And it is precisely through this union of the human and the divine in Jesus that God embraces, kisses and transforms human nature, elevating our dignity and status from that of simply creatures to adoption as the children of God with heaven as our inheritance. Through this union he injects within our humanity the supernatural power – called grace – to rise above our selfishness and sinfulness, to become people of mercy, compassion, justice and peace.

But we need to remember that the possibility of living out this transformation of our humanity which we call salvation is a partnership, a two way street, which respects our free will. Jesus never violates our freedom by forcing himself upon us because the decision to reach out to him as Savior is an act of love, and love demands free choice.

And so it seems to me that the big question this raises is: how? How do I enter into this personal bond with Jesus as Savior who can heals me from sin and transform me?  How do I personally participate in the gift of God-with-us so that I can live with him as his child?

First, we must know Jesus and this starts by learning about him. Pope Francis repeats to us over and over again that it is extremely necessary for us to encounter  Jesus in the gospels daily. There can be no such thing as truy knowing and experiencing  Jesus Christ without becoming familiar with him, with his words and deeds. The gospels tell us what Jesus, the God who saves, the God who is with us, really did and said when he lived among us.

Second, if we want Jesus-Emmanuel as a friend and companion in life then we must treat him as one. What would happen if we rarely thought of our friends? If we  never called or texted them? If we never go together with them? The friendship would go nowhere.  It would wither and die.  And the same holds true for our spiritual friendship with Christ. We need to spend time with Jesus in the quiet and conversation that we call prayer. Prayer is simply speaking with him heart to heart. Talk with Jesus about your day, your fears, your hopes, your dreams. Invite him to become part of your every day life.

Finally, nothing can take the place of our regular attendance at Mass because it is here that we most truly and fully experience Jesus Savior who transform us; as Emmanuel who is God-with-us.  Because it is only through the Mass that the Risen Lord Jesus becomes actually present among us in the Holy Eucharist. He comes as the heavenly flood for our spiritual hunger and makes his dwelling within us through the gift of Holy Communion. You can’t get much closer than that to a friend!

Christmas holds such a special warm place in our holidays and celebrations because the human heart cannot ignore an almighty God has chosen to give up his power and glory to become little and live among us as one of us.  That’s why he began life on planet Earth as an infant Savior, a newborn baby laying helpless and vulnerable in a manger.  Who could refuse to reach out  to hold such a Savior in their arms?  Who could refuse whispering, "Yes, I accept your gift of salvation" into those tiny ears and entering into his  friendship? That's what it means to have a Savior who is God-with-us. That’s the real meaning of Christmas.