The Supernatural Celebration of Christmas
The Christ Child was born to change the world. We must seek Him in order to be changed by Him as well.
As He emerged and manifested Himself to the world, He summoned the wise and the humble through great signs and wonders. He orchestrated the heavens to lead men from afar to find Him, and He commissioned His angels to appear to His humble shepherds and announce His longed-for birth. The star that He commanded to shine above the town of His birth drew them both, the near and the far, to adore Him in the poor dwelling in which, by His own choice, He caused Mary and Joseph to have Him lay.
There, in that first Christmas, men made great sacrifices to behold and honor Him. All who embraced that day as the day of wonder and hope did so after long and grueling journeys. Men abandoned their former lands to find Him and, upon encountering Him at Christmas, left afterward by a new road, forever changed after encountering the Son of God in the flesh.
In our day there are two sorts of ways in which modern man honors the manifestation of the incarnate Son of God at Christmas.
There are those men who, knowing that His manifestation draws near, and desiring to experience it in the manner that pleases God, seek to rid themselves of the traps and baggage and snares of their current lives. Thus liberated from the burdens of sin, they are able to receive Him in joy and detachment, in poverty in this world that His heavenly riches may be theirs. They hear within them the cry, "Make room in your hearts, O men! For the Son of God is jealous for your love, and will fill your coffers with overflowing wealth if He finds them swept clean of dust and the mire of this earth."
Then there are the men who hear the call of Christmas and cannot wait to taste the delicacies and dainties that accompany the sacred feast. These men embrace these treats and indulge, all the while they have yet to behold the Son of God. While other men renounce themselves and journey through the wilderness of penance, these men match with feasting the other men's fast. When the day of Christmas has come, worn out from sweets and festive music, these men cannot bear to continue the feasting for yet one more day.
The humble children of the Lord, on that Christmas day, when they raise their glasses to cheer their hearts, and taste the delights of the festive table, feel their hearts rise to God made man, as even their bodies come to life in the feasting.
Their joy is not in the wine, but in the God who made it, and who came to them to give them a cause for their rejoicing. Their joy is not in the sumptuous meats and dishes, but in the God who made these gifts of the earth and whose coming sanctified and liberated them from every trap of the evil one. The feasting of the saints is on the grace of God first and the table of man last.
Herein lies the secret to moderation and avoiding gluttony. The man of this world feasts in order to fill that place in his soul where God desires to be King. The man of heaven feasts as a sign that God has come and has been enthroned in his soul as Savior and King.
This Christmas, let your feasting be embraced to honor the day that the Son of God is made man and is made manifest to the nations.
This Christmas, let the feasting be the sign to all, yourself and others, that God has taken up His throne on earth in His Church, and on the earth of your heart.
Smile not for the wine but for the joy of the Messiah!
Smile not for the desserts but for the cause of your feast!
Nota Bene
For those whose journey has not, until now, been by the way of penance, fasting carries us a long way quickly. There is still time!
This reflection is brought to you by the author of Slaying Dragons: What Exorcists See & What We Should Know - a great book for all seasons, a great gift for all friends.
As He emerged and manifested Himself to the world, He summoned the wise and the humble through great signs and wonders. He orchestrated the heavens to lead men from afar to find Him, and He commissioned His angels to appear to His humble shepherds and announce His longed-for birth. The star that He commanded to shine above the town of His birth drew them both, the near and the far, to adore Him in the poor dwelling in which, by His own choice, He caused Mary and Joseph to have Him lay.There, in that first Christmas, men made great sacrifices to behold and honor Him. All who embraced that day as the day of wonder and hope did so after long and grueling journeys. Men abandoned their former lands to find Him and, upon encountering Him at Christmas, left afterward by a new road, forever changed after encountering the Son of God in the flesh.
In our day there are two sorts of ways in which modern man honors the manifestation of the incarnate Son of God at Christmas.
There are those men who, knowing that His manifestation draws near, and desiring to experience it in the manner that pleases God, seek to rid themselves of the traps and baggage and snares of their current lives. Thus liberated from the burdens of sin, they are able to receive Him in joy and detachment, in poverty in this world that His heavenly riches may be theirs. They hear within them the cry, "Make room in your hearts, O men! For the Son of God is jealous for your love, and will fill your coffers with overflowing wealth if He finds them swept clean of dust and the mire of this earth."
Then there are the men who hear the call of Christmas and cannot wait to taste the delicacies and dainties that accompany the sacred feast. These men embrace these treats and indulge, all the while they have yet to behold the Son of God. While other men renounce themselves and journey through the wilderness of penance, these men match with feasting the other men's fast. When the day of Christmas has come, worn out from sweets and festive music, these men cannot bear to continue the feasting for yet one more day.
The humble children of the Lord, on that Christmas day, when they raise their glasses to cheer their hearts, and taste the delights of the festive table, feel their hearts rise to God made man, as even their bodies come to life in the feasting.
Their joy is not in the wine, but in the God who made it, and who came to them to give them a cause for their rejoicing. Their joy is not in the sumptuous meats and dishes, but in the God who made these gifts of the earth and whose coming sanctified and liberated them from every trap of the evil one. The feasting of the saints is on the grace of God first and the table of man last.
Herein lies the secret to moderation and avoiding gluttony. The man of this world feasts in order to fill that place in his soul where God desires to be King. The man of heaven feasts as a sign that God has come and has been enthroned in his soul as Savior and King.
This Christmas, let your feasting be embraced to honor the day that the Son of God is made man and is made manifest to the nations.
This Christmas, let the feasting be the sign to all, yourself and others, that God has taken up His throne on earth in His Church, and on the earth of your heart.
Smile not for the wine but for the joy of the Messiah!
Smile not for the desserts but for the cause of your feast!
Nota Bene
For those whose journey has not, until now, been by the way of penance, fasting carries us a long way quickly. There is still time!
This reflection is brought to you by the author of Slaying Dragons: What Exorcists See & What We Should Know - a great book for all seasons, a great gift for all friends.
Comments
Post a Comment