Jesus is the Difference

Today is the fourth and last Sunday of Advent. We celebrate Christmas, the birth of Christ, day after tomorrow. Christians salute others with the words “Merry Christmas!”

But those who are indifferent or who live in the spirit of the world often say “Happy Holidays!” Over the years in the Western world which thru the centuries grew up Christian, the later greeting has gained ascendency over the former. Is there a difference and if so what is it?

Christmas and Easter are Christian holy days in honor of Christ our blessed Lord and Savior. They commemorate His birth and His resurrection from the dead. Two events that for those who believe in Him, are baptized and follow His commandments and teachings can attain a share in His life and live forever through sanctifying grace. Both of these holy days have been secularized and held captive by commercial and material interest-Pagan and self seeking interests.

People are not thought of as God’s holy ones living lives that give glory to Him who made them but rather as consumers whose first obligation is to keep the economy moving ahead. The American Civil Liberties Union has declared that it is unconstitutional to mention the name of Christ or to say merry Christmas, the false notion of the idea of separation of Church and State. But we might say as Americans who love fairness and justice that happy holidays is used so as not to exclude those who celebrate Hanukah or Ramadan. But Christmas is a Christian feast that celebrates the birth of the Son of God who was sent and who came to save mankind, individually from his sins. Christ is a divine person. We must be careful to not allow the world to usurp what belongs to Christianity and to the Church.

The reason for the season of Christmas is Christ alone.

In the prologue of St. John’s gospel the first five verses tells us who Christ is. The one who is to come, Emmanuel, God is with us.

“In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God; and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him. And without Him was made nothing that has been made. In Him was life and the life was the light of men, and the light shines in the darkness and the darkness grasped it not.”

The world does not grasp who Christ is or that He is who is and many Christians who say “Lord, Lord” do not either.

Yes, it marks a difference. And the difference is between accepting the gift of life or disregarding it, of acknowledging who the Son of God is or ignoring Him or remaking Him in our own image or likeness.

Last Sunday was Gaudette Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent. We were reminded of two things: First, that John the Baptist was thought of by Jesus as the greatest man born of woman who said of the Son of God “For a greater than I is to come. One whose sandal straps I am unworthy to loose.” And also “He must increase, I must decrease.” John the Baptist also was a man of truth and spoke it to King Herod who had taken his brother Philip’s wife as his own in defiance of the laws of God.

He gave his whole self to Christ. He decreased so that Christ would increase in him even though his human life was thereby forfeited.

The second thing we were reminded of was that faith is fragile. It can be minimized or lost altogether. Faith is a gift. and in these days of Advent just before the Solemnity of the Nativity should we not give thanks to God for the gift of faith He has given us and ask that it be strengthened in the coming year. God is the giver of every good gift for He loves us with an everlasting love.

How generous have I been with God this year? For God cannot be out done in generosity. How much have I purposely made myself decrease so that the Babe of Bethlehem can grow up in my soul and share His very being with me? For some of us this coming year may be the last one we have on earth. Can we be a person of truth like John the Baptist and live for the truth and face the truth, which is Christ, in our lives?

Have we crowded God out to make more room for me? Mary and Joseph could find no place to stay in Bethlehem when Jesus was about to be born except for a cold stable with the animals. They were literally crowded out.

Yes, it makes a difference how we regard this great gift of the nativity, of the incarnation. The coming into our world of the Son of God, Emmanuel, God is with us. God gives us the gift of Himself again this Christmas. He comes as a new born baby with His little arms outstretched in love toward all. The question for us to answer is how much of ourselves will we give to Him in return? 10%, 30%, 60% or 100% like John the Baptist and God’s other saints?

John the Baptist is our guide. “He must increase and I must decrease.” “Behold! the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” He said pointing to Jesus walking along the banks of the Jordan River.

We are beckoned to come into Christ so that He can come into us and remain with us forever. “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood, worthily, has life in him.”

Scripture today says these things to us, “Let the Lord enter. He is the King of glory. Where will our eternal glory come from if it doesn’t start here? Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who can stand in His holy place? He who desires not what is vain.”

St. Paul in Romans says that Jesus has been established as Son of God according to His Holiness “Through the obedience of faith, we who are called to belong to Jesus Christ and are called to be holy.”

Yes, through Him, with Him and in Him we are called to be holy, as individuals making up the mystical body of Christ with Him as our head.

It is not easy to be like Christ and to show Him to others and to the world. But it will be much easier if we come down to the level of the baby Jesus in the manger. “Unless you become like a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The baby Jesus will grow up to be a man and will give up His life on the cross for us individually. “He did not consider being equal to God, a thing to be clung to. But emptied Himself, taking the nature of a slave and being made like unto men.”

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the word.”

Jesus comes as a babe at Christmas, grows to manhood, and dies on the Cross which becomes the tree of life, leaves us His church which is Himself and remains with us in the Holy Eucharist and in the other sacraments. To give us Himself to build us up and help us to grow strong in His holiness.

The Christmas tree is the fir tree that is ever green. It should remind us of the tree of everlasting life which is the Cross of Jesus. The lights that shine and twinkle point us to Him who is the light of the world. The light that shines in the darkness, grasp him to your heart and hold Him close and never let Him go. For only Jesus makes the difference.

Merry Christmas!