The Family Spirit of Christmas

I was watching a Christmas movie yesterday. In its last part where scenes of children opening their gifts from Santa and hugging their parents, I was teary eyed as I watched that scene. Something inside of me was touched deeply. I tried to ask myself why the reaction, why the tears. I looked back at my own past Christmas, and sad to say it was not a joyful one. Even though we celebrated Christmas with the whole family, including uncles, aunts and grandma, our hearts were far apart, it as more of just “showing off” or “we got to be here” type of gathering. We were all there and full of resentments with each other. So I never did experience the family spirit of Christmas, hopefully this year will be different. I also meditated on the “spiritual” family spirit of Christmas. Why family celebration is such an importance during Christmas? I looked on the star of the Christmas season – Christ. St Paul said “He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself”. So when Jesus took on our flesh and became man born of a virgin, He took us from being God’s people to God’s very own children. In Jesus’ incarnation God became our Father! We are no more orphans! So Christmas is also a time of celebrating our being part of the family of God! What a gift, sinners as we are, God has adopted us through Jesus! We are all one big family! With that said, I think those of us especially those who have a good family, should share that “family spirit” of love and giving to those who have none. There many of our brothers and sister have not experience what having a family means even though they are not orphans, I am one of them. This Christmas let us change that. Let us make spread the “family spirit of Christmas” to the unloved and unwanted, and in doing that we too will experience a deeper and profound understanding that we are all one big family of God.

God Bless