Today a Saviour is born

Some of the traditional Christmas hymns give us glimpses of the beauty and of the significance of the feast:

´Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o´er the plains,

And the mountains in reply, echoing their joyous strains

Gloria in excelsis Deo Gloria in excelsis Deo´.

At Christmas we are invited to express our gratitude for the great gift which God has given us – his Son Jesus, born in such precarious circumstances in Bethlehem and yet destined to be our Saviour. The course of human history was changed forever after the birth of Jesus. ´God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son´.

Silent night, Holy night, all is calm, all is bright,

Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child, Holy infant, so tender and mild,

Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace

This verse suggests that something very special was happening in Bethlehem. There is mention of the human qualities of tenderness and mildness and then of heavenly peace. Through the birth of Jesus the human and the divine come together. Humanity is blessed because the Son of God takes human form and humanity now knows definitively that its destiny is to be saved by the Son of God made man.

The birth of Jesus can be seen as an act of solidarity of God with humanity. He came to identify Himself with us in all things but sin. Solidarity means taking on the burdens of the other, supporting the other, being sensitive to the needs of the other, being appreciative of the qualities of the other, being grateful for the other.

A challenging conclusion for us is this: To appreciate God´s solidarity with us we must show solidarity with one another. In many ways this is counter cultural because the prevailing attitude of many is quite the opposite: to exploit others for personal or national gain, to be indifferent to the plight of others are things we hear and see frequently. Individualism rather than a community spirit is common place. The Christmas message is an invitation to revise such attitudes.

It must also be acknowledged that there are many people and many groups who strive to live the virtue of solidarity, who go to great lengths to help those in need or who are on the margins of church or of society. The feast of Christmas is an endorsement of their efforts. Many they be strengthened in their resolve no matter how difficult the circumstances are. Christmas tells us to be inclusive of all our brothers and sisters because the Son of God made man includes them all in his embrace.

Happy Christmas to one and all. Nollaig faoi shona díbh go léir