"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace to people of good will"
By George Katticaren
 |
| The adoraton of shepherd was painted by the famous Ghirlandio in the
Sassetti Chapel of Santa Trinita in
1485.
|
The Significance of Christmas is well known to people all over the world. About two thousand years ago Jesus was born on Christmas night in a simple lowly place which was a stable. He was born to humble and poor parents. He too was humble throughout his life and sided with those who were poor, suffering and oppressed.
He was born at a time when ignorance, superstition, greed, hatred and hypocrisy prevailed in society. The priestly class was holding the upper hand in society. They considered themselves to be like gods on earth. Morality was neglected. Descrimination and injustice were rampant everywhere.
The great significance of Jesus' birth is the spiritual awakening it was meant to bring. But today Christmas is more often than not celebrated as just a commemoration of a great birthday. But in truth, Christmas has a meaning only when Christ is born again in the hearts of people and his spirit expresses itself through them.
One wonders how Jesus could initiate a vast movement like Christianity with twelve ordinary people, with no special qualifications, communication or transport facilities. Moreover, his public life was so short and yet his disciples managed to spread his teachings far and wide beyond the then known world. No organisation could have achieved such magnificent success in this world.
He was gentle, compassionate towards the poor and oppressed. In his Good News he proclaimed the message of liberation and freedom from the corrupt values prevailing at that time in society. But His life came to an end abruptly with crucifixion, a punishment meted out to him by the Romans, instigated by the Jewish leaders who were jealous of his success among the people.
As centuries passed, a culture has developed in Christianity that has imprisoned the humble Christ in magnificent churches, with his divinity shorn of his humanity, whilst He Himself is seeking a place in the hearts of people.
The Nobel prize winner, missionary and medical practitioner Dr.Albert Schweitzer
wrote in his famous book "Quest of the Historical Jesus
" as follows:
"[Jesus] in the knowledge that
He is the coming
Son of Man lays hold of the wheel of the world to set it moving
on that last revolution which is
to bring all
ordinary history to a close. It refuses to turn, and He throws Himself upon it. Then it does turn; and crushes Him. Instead of bringing in the
eschatological
conditions, He has destroyed them. The wheel rolls onward, and the mangled body of the one mmeasurably great Man, who was strong enough to think of Himself as the spiritual ruler of mankind and to bend history to His purpose, is hanging upon it still. That is His victory and His reign.”
conditions, He has destroyed them. The wheel rolls onward, and the mangled body of the one mmeasurably great Man, who was strong enough to think of Himself as the spiritual ruler of mankind and to bend history to His purpose, is hanging upon it still. That is His victory and His reign.”
Jesus was the greatest human being ever born in this world. His moral teachings touch on a wide range of subjects such as courage, fairness, justice,
cooperation, tolerance and concern
for others that deal
with human welfare. His teachings
have parallels in other
religions too. But his uniqueness consists in the
incarnation approach to human problems. In his preaching He challenged many of
the traditions of Jewish
hierarchy, such as the power of the temple and the use of temple
sacrifices. Ultimately the priests turned against Jesus and played
a major role in his crucifixion.
20 centuries have elapsed after the
birth of Jesus. But even today violation of the human rights in
society as well as in the Church is universally discussed. In the present troubled state of world affairs the spirit of Jesus and His humanistic approach to human problems is the only means to reconciliation.
Rev. Dr. David Hollenbach, SJ,
Professor of Catholic Theology wrote:
"The history of the 20th century, with all its war
and suffering, has brought us to a crisis of humanism. It leads us to suspect that social life is so
broken that the best we can hope for is survival for the time being.
But Christmas brings
a much deeper hope. The stable at Bethlehem helps us
see that the
ultimate
mystery surrounding our lives is a source
of reconciliation, indeed of redemption. It unveils that at the heart of the world
is One who has utter compassion for all who suffer.
The angels' song of
"peace on earth" brings
hope in the face of every oppressive status quo. It helps us
continue struggling toward a world
that is more just, less violent. This is
the heart of every genuine humanism; it is the source of Christmas joy. "
A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR !
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