OPENING THE GIFT OF CHRISTMAS | KAIROS GLOBAL | DECEMBER 2021

Author: Steffi Siby

intro: Steffi Siby reflects on the word, ‘open’ and how we can celebrate a more meaningful Christmas this year.

I would like to share some reflections on how to be open this Christmas. And I'm not talking about opening gifts! In today’s culture, there might be a big focus on gifts and festivities leading to the significance of Christmas being forgotten. Christmas itself is the biggest gift – the gift of Jesus Christ himself.  

Last Christmas, what really struck me whilst looking at the crib was the posture of Baby Jesus. Both his arms were wide open. I reflected on how this symbolises how open and welcoming he is to each and every human being. Recently, I heard about how this posture of his open arms prefigures his arms spread out on the cross. This made an impression on me because it signifies how there's more to things than we often realise. There is a deeper meaning to many things in our faith that only contemplation with the Holy Spirit can reveal to us. The Incarnation is an incredible example of God's love and such a deep mystery of our faith. We have gotten so used to Christmas that the magnitude of it may be lost on us now. 

The human mind cannot easily comprehend that the God of the universe would choose to be born as a human baby. The circumstances of Jesus' humble birth can baffle us, it hardly seems a suitable beginning for the human life of God on the earth he himself made. Personally, I cannot fathom how God who is all powerful humbled himself to take on humanity and all our problems as a method of redemption. He could've wiped us out completely, he could have inflicted justice in many ways but the way he chose highlights his most important nature – God is love. 

During this Advent and Christmas season, I invite us all to grow deeper in our faith, hope and love. One such way is to be open just as Christ's arms were open for the whole world. 

 Open to others

This is crucial. Jesus, throughout the Gospels, emphasises the importance of serving others, forgiving them and loving them. If we consider it prayerfully, we can probably find many areas in our hearts that are not open to others. We may have closed our hearts to certain people because they have hurt us. We may carry bitterness, unforgiveness and resentment from some of our relationships. Jesus invites us to let these go and be open to others knowing that others can hurt us but as Christ's disciples, we can pray for the grace to rise above that and truly love them. 

We must also remain open to everyone. Christ did not die just for Christians so we have no right to adopt a superior stance. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again (2 Corinthians 5:15). We might be holding on to prejudices regarding certain groups of people. Regardless of this and what is going on in the world, I pray we may have the tolerance and acceptance Jesus would want us to have. 

Christmas is our opportunity as Christians to show the world what this momentous event truly means. In a world that is becoming increasingly secular, it is our duty and responsibility to celebrate Christmas in a way that conveys Christ to the world. We can evangelise through the way we approach Christmas.

Much more than putting up a Christmas tree and decorations or having a feast, we can use this season to spread the joy and love Jesus brought for us. Jesus gave us eternal joy by his birth. He saved all of humankind from sin and death. When we truly appreciate this and live it out, others will be touched by our joy and peace too.

Open to suffering

‘Simply because the holier a person is, the more he must suffer for the love and glory of God. Suffering is the flowering of God’s grace in a soul and the triumph of the soul’s love for God’ – St. Peter Julian Eymard.

This is a very difficult one for most of us. We know the saints suffered but we naturally recoil from suffering. However, we cannot avoid it. The way we bear our suffering matters. 

Our suffering can aid our sanctification and have redemptive value. For this to happen, we need to view suffering in a different light. We need to understand that we cannot share in Jesus's glory if we haven't shared in his suffering. Being open to suffering shows our love and trust in God. After all, love comes with sacrifice and suffering. Jesus was the epitome of this. 

But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed (1 Peter 4:13).

Being open to suffering is something we can practice in our day-to-day lives, even though it won't be 'big' things. We all face frustrations each and every day. Things don't go according to our plans. People disappoint us. Traffic, taxes and terrible tragedies on the news pervade us. Amidst all this chaos, we can easily get discouraged. 

‘My child, know that the greatest obstacles to holiness are discouragement and an exaggerated anxiety. These will deprive you of the ability to practice virtue.’ (Diary of St. Faustina, 1488) 

Instead of getting discouraged or anxious in these situations, we can choose to turn to God. Instead of relying on our own strength and getting thoroughly disappointed, we can turn to our all merciful God. He can transform our brokenness into beauty. Our suffering can be used to help others, for our sanctification and much more, if we allow God. 

It might seem like Christmas is too early to think about Lent and the Passion of Christ but Christ’s suffering is what gave meaning to his Incarnation. We cannot shy away from suffering if we are to fully embrace our identity in Christ. So this Christmas let us keep our Lord’s suffering and his invitation to suffer with him in our hearts.

 Open to life

Openness to life means openness to life as God intended. Christmas signifies new life in the most remarkable way – the Incarnation. But is Jesus being born again or awakened in our hearts these days? Christ died so we could have freedom. Are we living free lives or are we slaves to our sin? 

Our life matters and being a human being matters. God himself chose to take on our humanity as a means for saving us. This elevates the human condition and shows us how pristine it is to be human. 

In today's society, there are many ways the human person is constantly being degraded. Abortion is rampant. There are countless things which undermine the inherent beauty and dignity of the human person – euthanasia, modern slavery, human trafficking, the sex trade, the drug trade, racism, persecution, etc. 

After his lowly birth, things didn't get much better for Jesus from a human point of view. He lived in poor conditions and went on to do manual labour. Even when he started his ministry, began performing miracles and gathering followers, insults and opposition followed him. This then openly turned into betrayal, torture and death.

When we consider this, we see that the life lived by Jesus Christ is not one which would be esteemed in our world. But Jesus leads by example and tells us to follow in his footsteps. We have to go against today's cultural and moral ideologies to fully be open to life in the way God intended and not just life in the way the world tells us. 

Practical steps to be more open this Christmas

• Revisit the life of Jesus. The Gospel of Luke has 24 chapters, one for every day leading up to Christmas. This would be a great time to read and reflect on this. 

• Support those who will be spending Christmas alone. This may be giving them a call, dropping by, sending them something and most of all, praying for them. 

• Reflect on the people in our lives we may not be completely open to. Evaluate whether there is any resentment or bitterness that needs to be repented and taken to the sacrament of confession. 

• Look into charities that promote the inherent dignity and beauty of human life, those fighting hard for justice and peace. Find ways to support their work be it through donating, volunteering, spreading awareness or praying for their work.

• Spend time meditating on the crib. Strive to emulate the life of the Holy Family in our families.

• Any inconveniences and frustrations that come this season, offer it up for others who are suffering and in much worse conditions than ourselves. 

• Frequent the sacraments and live in close communion with the Church and Church’s teachings.

author info: Steffi Siby lives in Blackpool, England. She posts on her blog https://spreadyoursmile.home.blog/ weekly. She also writes articles about her faith and hopes to spread the light and love of the Gospel through her words.