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December 24, 2016Merry Christmas!
The first Christmas eve I remember was in the first family house I remember. I had a bad dream and got up to look for my parents. I wandered into the living room and my dad and Nick, his buddy from the war, were putting together a slot race car set. The Christmas tree was shining and they were having fun. Dad looked up and said, “John, go back to bed.” That is one of my best memories of dad. I slept the rest of the night. I had so many great Christmas experiences with my family. The slot race car set did not last long. The memory of love has lasted a lifetime. So much of our anticipation of Christmas is set by our memories of the past.
Ponder why Christmas is so eagerly anticipated each year by so many. This feast appeals too young and old. The beauty of the Christmas tree, the music, the Christmas crèche, the food and presents are all part of the charm of Christmas. The love of family and friends pulls it all together and makes it memorable. Christmas, like Easter, is food for the soul.
The link between Christmas and Easter is not always obvious in the festivity of this season. The story of Easter follows the unjust trial and crucifixion of Jesus. At Christmas, King Herod sought the life of the new born baby forcing Mary and Joseph to flee with their tiny son to Egypt. When Jesus is laid in the tomb, he is wrapped in a shroud; when he is laid in the manger, he is wrapped in swaddling clothes.
The manger is at the heart of the Christmas and Easter story. The manger is a place where animals eat. Jesus speaks of himself as the bread of life made in the meal he celebrated with his disciples the night before he died. From the beginning of his life, Jesus is the bread of life laid in the manger and on the cross.
Christmas is food for the soul because Christ is the bread of life. The image of Christ in the manger as food for the soul is an insight worth considering at this time of the year. We become another Christ when we offer our life for the good of another. Even when we feel unloved, or lonely, still we can move towards God by loving others. The church and each of us individually find our purpose when we become food for others. Christmas is a time to eat and celebrate, but it is also a time when we should realize more deeply that our vocation, like that of Jesus, is to give ourselves away. When we do so, we discover the image of Christ in ourselves. Like Christ, we are food for the world. We can live without a slot race car set. We cannot live without love.
