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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider Welcoming a deeper spirit of Christmas

Welcoming a deeper spirit of Christmas

Published Dec 24, 2023 04:04 pm

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Today we celebrate the birth of a savior.

The significance of Jesus’ birth in our history extends to beyond his followers. His coming was prophesized, and his greatness foretold. His entry into history influenced how we measure time. It has inspired movements and individuals. The church he established has believers that now number almost 1.4 billion people in all parts of the globe.


As he grew and matured in his public ministry after his birth, Jesus gave many teachings which can now be found in the gospels, which are accounts of his public life, the miracles and healings he performed, and public statements culminating in his passion, death, and resurrection. For Catholics, the mysteries of the Rosary give a glimpse into the gospel and how Jesus lived and inspired us to learn more.


The significance of his coming to the world lies with the values of love and compassion for others through Christ bringing people together in love. This, in truth, counters the often morally ambiguous and hypercompetitive, already ruthless, self-centered culture we face in daily life that we have seen in the last 100 years. In recent years we have seen the emergence of online and social media exacerbating these tendencies, sometimes providing venues for illicit, mentally damaging sinful practices such as pornography, online sexual abuse, financial scamming and deceit, and nefarious identity theft. Look around and it is clear that many things once sinful have become socially acceptable and even espoused, unmindful of the long-term moral and mental harm to many, especially the young.


In response, we must learn and live gospel values in daily lives, avoid sin, and keep loving, and forgiving. This is a life where obstacles to true happiness are overcome, and not avoided. This contrasts with worldly values laden with the mindless pursuit of pleasure, an acceptance of sin, and the incessant avoidance of pain.


Of course, the online world also saw the emergence of a lot of uplifting, inspiring and informative Catholic and Christian content that serves to bring Christ to our laptops, phones and smart TVs. This explosion of content I will probably tackle in another column.


I believe Christmas ought to be the start of a deeper examination of our own faith. Moreover, this is a chance to evaluate how it impacts our lives and those around us. A key question for us is: How do we love and help guide others to repentance to return to living according to the will and plan of God, rather than according to our limited understanding and capability. In today’s world, it is not easy. There is much confusion that tends to cloud our free will.


Living the gospel means learning what it means. The secular world is not as congruent with gospel values as we hoped.


As baptized Christians, God bestows grace that enables us to receive Jesus’ teachings and wisdom more fully. We will be drawn to examine ourselves in light of our faith with the help of wisdom and grace. 


As we move forward and face the future, we retain the hope that as we learn more about the gospel, the mercy and empowerment of Jesus will guide us to be humble to accept His teachings. 


Merry Christmas to one and all!

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John Tria
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