FINDING ANSWERS 

It’s the day after Christmas, yet the festive atmosphere continues during this most delightful time of the year when abundance of love and generosity can be overwhelming.

Despite all the prolonged misery brought about by poverty and the wars in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, the message of Christmas is the great love that God has for all of us.

“God has come, God is here in our midst, and his light has forever pierced the darkness of the world,” Pope Francis said a few days ago. “We need to hear and accept this message anew, especially in these days tragically marked by the violence of war, by the momentous risks posed by climate change, and by poverty, suffering, hunger – there is hunger in the world! – and all the grave problems of the present time.”

The Pontiff further explained: “It is comforting to discover that even in those painful situations, and all the other problems of our frail human family, God makes himself present in this crib, the manger where today he chooses to be born and to bring the Father’s love to all.”

The very first Christmas more than two millenniums ago “was not a condemnation of social injustice and poverty; it was an announcement of joy… an inner joy of light and peace,” Pope Francis reminded the faithful in one of his homilies many years ago.

The profound joy that Christmas certainly brings comes from the knowledge that the birth of our Lord Jesus has paved the way for mankind to attain eternal life.

Indeed, as proclaimed in the Holy Bible, “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

But how can one have eternal life? Jesus himself gave the answer: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39)

Thus, on the two greatest commandments lie the key to salvation. To truly love God and our neighbor as ourselves, we need to utilize our time, talent, and treasure to serve others especially as we perform the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

To truly love is to truly serve. Love without service can be meaningless. Loving and serving go hand in hand. And the best way to serve is through the corporal works of mercy – To feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the imprisoned, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, bury the dead.

And there are also the spiritual works of mercy – to admonish the sinner, instruct the ignorant, counsel the doubtful, comfort the sorrowful, bear wrongs patiently, forgive all injuries, pray for the living and the dead.

Indeed, love of God ought to inspire all of us who truly love to devote our time, efforts, and resources toward the unceasing work of bringing about God’s Kingdom in this world, just as we aspire whenever we pray in the words Jesus taught us in the Lord’s Prayer.

Obeying the basic teachings of Christ to feed the hungry and do other acts of mercy, brings us closer to His Kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven.”

The grace of God is surely at work in the hearts of people who, without fanfare, spend time, effort and treasure to help the poor.  Of course, it can be very difficult to always live our lives in accordance with the two greatest commandments. We may constantly strive to be devout Christians and love God and our neighbor, yet, human as we are, we may often fail in our efforts.

But let us not lose hope. We have to, as Pope Francis once said, “open ourselves decisively to the grace of Christ” to help others. “Unless we choose to become poor in passing riches, worldly power and vanity, we will never be able to give our lives in love; we will live a fragmented existence, full of good intentions but ineffective for transforming the world. We need, therefore, to open ourselves decisively to the grace of Christ.”

It is in opening ourselves and sharing our blessings with those in need that we can truly experience the joy that Christmas brings. May we all find and share the joy of the Yuletide season! ([email protected])