Tony Hernandez
As we approach the happiest holiday in the Christian calendar—Christmas Day—we pause to rejoice and celebrate the birth of the Holy Child.
Just what is the significance of His birth? What does this occasion tell us? A vacation from work? A time for greetings and exchange gifts?
But perhaps, to add more meaning to the season, it might as well also be a time to catch up and prepare appropriately for the occasion; to ask ourselves what it really implies so we can be attuned with the occasion.
As the most notable of birthdays nears, we are customarily ready with our gifts for one another. But are we similarly ready with our gifts for the special celebrant? Is He among those in our Christmas list? Christmas goes beyond the trimmings of the season, the carols, the colder breeze.
It is, above all, the coming of the redeemer. To be aligned with the occasion is to discover and feel its message. And I would say, the message of Christmas revolves around: (1) a message of reconciliation; (2) a message of renewal; and (3) a message of love and sharing. The Holy Child’s coming is a big step to reconciliation. He came to live among us, to perform miracles for us, to suffer and die that we may be redeemed and reconciled with our Creator and be united in His kingdom. Accordingly, the occasion matures into a call for renewal: to turn away from wayward living and the misleading influences. It is often said that while “[y]ou can share without loving, you cannot love without sharing.” Christmas, therefore, finally transforms into a message of love and sharing.
When we respond to a birthday invitation, our social instincts tend to remind us of gifts for the celebrant as a traditional gesture of love and sharing. And on this occasion, what could be a better gift than our renewed selves to bring and offer to our celebrant of celebrants—giving our all, just as He has given up His all in the offering at Calvary.
A Biblical passage announces to us HIS words: “Whatever you do for the least of your brethren, you do it unto me!” And this instantly actualizes the essence of love with that gesture of sharing and encourages us to share our blessings with others as well. And by this, I mean the poor, the weak, the orphaned, the injured, the lonely and the needy.
The calamities that have recently visited us brought us to the test, giving us myriad chances to do more good. So today, as we savor and enjoy the approaching Christmas, let us not forget to also prepare ourselves and be ready to participate some more and be truly a part of the grand celebration of Life with our ultimate gift of our renewed selves this Christmas 2019. A blessed Christmas to one and all! INQThis article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines, or MAP. The author is management and development finance consultant, past president and advisory council member of the Government Association of CPAs, past director of PICPA and former senior officer of the Land Bank of the Philippines. Feedback at map@map.org.ph and ath7543@yahoo.com. For previous articles, please visit map.org.ph)