Homily for 25 December 2023 by Fr. Oscarito Antonio Boongaling
Christmas Day
Each of us may have a different word to capture the essence of this special day. While reflecting, one comes repeatedly in my mind – REMEMBER. In my country, we have a saying about the significance of remembering – those who do not learn to look where they came from – not to remember the past – may not reach their destination. Right remembering shapes our lives. To fail to remember is to fail to appreciate the gift God is offering us now.
Isaiah the prophet delivers the same message to his fellow Israelites who have just returned from their exile. They arrived in Jerusalem and beheld their homes, community and the Temple destroyed and desecrated. They feel hopeless and ashamed. Yet he reminds to hope and to trust – As God brought about order from chaos in his work of creation and will do the same in rebuilding not just their structures but also their covenant with Him. He is bringing them to a new exodus – he frees them from enslavement to a corrupted love of self and idols towards a restored love for Him. Isaiah tells the Israelites to remember: God works wonders in the past and even at that present moment.
The Apostle St. Paul reminds the bishop Titus that the coming of God’s Son is a generous and outrageous gift. None of our desires, works or good intentions have willed or created this gift. Paul tells Titus to remember: Allow the gift to change our attitudes – from relying in and praising ourselves, our giftedness and our abilities to praise and conform with God’s will.
Luke the evangelist helps us to reflect on the deep and profound meaning of Christmas:
In the seemingly impossible and improbable, God does his work. Though initially rejected by homes in Bethlehem, Christ was born in a lowly manger. God fulfills his word even if human hearts were unwilling and non-receptive.
Such gift and event offered a great impact not just to a few but to Israel as a whole. The coming of Christ had the changed the lives of Mary, Joseph, the Wisemen, the religious leaders of Jerusalem, Herod and his court, and even the lowly Shepherds. Christ became a source of hope, of joy and of consolation.
In the features of an infant, Christ teaches us how to dispose ourselves and how to respond to God’s calling in life – not by power, pride, coercion or agitation – but in submission and humility.
Luke tells his audience to remember that God’s gift brings with it deep meanings and messages.
Brothers and sisters, let us remember God’s gift this Christmas and allow him to lead us into a new way of being, of living and of seeing our reality each day.
