Are we so busy creating Christmas that we miss out on the one that God gives us for free? Have we so re-defined Christmas that it has become a pagan feast day? Is the voice of the Church being drowned out by the noise of advertisers who lure us from the quiet of our homes into the uproar of the marketplace?
To guide us in our preparation for Christmas, the Church recalls the prophecies of Isaiah. He stirred the hearts of people centuries before Jesus arrived to prepare and anticipate the great moment of history when God would send us a solution to our problems. God would send us a savior.
“The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him…He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth…Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid…On that day, the root of Jesse set up as a signal for the nations, the Gentiles shall seek out for his dwelling shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:1-10).
Israel waited, prayed, and expected for this “root of Jesse” to show up when the spirit of peace would be so profound that even the animals would get along with each other. Then the day finally came and what happened? The people let it pass them by, blind to the reality of God in their midst.
They prepared for “Christmas” and when the day arrived they had “more important” things to do. They were unable to recognize Jesus. “He came into his own and his own knew him not.” Yet, there were some who saw him (Luke 10:21-24).
“Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.”
Jesus stood out as a light shining in a dark place. The “wise and the learned” were so blinded by their own egos that they could see Jesus when he arrived. It was the childlike—the little children, the poor people, the sinners, the widows and the rejects of the world that rejoiced in Jesus. Those who “knew it all” missed out on God’s greatest gift.
“Turning to the disciples in private he said, ‘Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
It was the simple people who left everything to follow Jesus. They gave up what the world considers important because they believed Jesus was more important than all else. It was this chosen handful of people who had eyes to see the miracle in their midst.
Once more, in our day, the Church tries to compete against the world’s marketers and vendors. Once more the Church quietly unfolds before us the mystery hidden in God’s Word and presents Jesus to us in a form that only the childlike can recognize. We are given another chance to embrace Jesus as we try to stop our ears to the noise the world is generating.
It will take a disciplined decision to listen to the Church and get into the quiet rhythm of this sacred season. We have been lured by the world that offers us an alternative to God’s plan– that uses the power of money to manufacture its version of Christmas—a Christmas that promises everything and delivers almost nothing. Instead of bringing us fulfillment, it leaves us empty and disappointed inside.
We can ask God to pour his Holy Spirit into our hearts and fashion within us the eyes and heart of a child, so this time Jesus will not be hidden from us, and we will not miss out on God’s love presented to us in the quiet visitation of his Son.
