Christmas is in Our Hearts

More than two thousand years after the birth of Jesus, humankind is still beset with
worries, fears and confusions. Deep in the hearts of modern men, a void persists that no
man made gadget can seem to fill. There is no worse time for mankind to fell the
presence of this profound emptiness than around the holiday season, as statistics would
show that more than 60% of suicide occur around Christmas. For all its advancement in
sophistication, the human race is still in unending quest for happiness, a futile attempt at
fulfilling lifes real meaning.

This does not escaped the curiosity of an innocent, impressionable child. One look at the
happenings around and the child wonders: If God so love the world that He gave his only
begotten son, why then the world is such a trouble place? Why Christmas no longer a
joyous occasion for many people?

Is Christmas found on the misery of the hungry, the poor, and the abandoned? Is it hidden
in their pain, masked by the noises of their woes? Is it in their empty stomachs and their
defeated eyes? If the modern world is as rich as it claims it is, why then are there many
who re hungry and homeless? Where is Christmas?

Is Christmas perhaps found here, at the core of the family? Are peace and love found in
the heart of a suffering mother, or are they overpowered by the violence of her abusive
husband? Are affection and respect found in luxuries and conveniences purchased by
wealth and showered upon the children? Where is Christmas?

Such in the humble beginning of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His story of humility,
of simplicity, of so much love for mankind that he chose to be born in a manger and not
some fancy hotel or lying-in clinic that we modern men can buy with our money. And if a
child can understand this real meaning of Christmas, why not us adults?

Why cant we find mercy and compassion in our hearts to feed the hungry, to shelter the
homeless, to nurture the abandoned?

Why cant we find dignity in men and women who are forced to sell their bodies just to
put food on the table of their families? Why cant we comfort the suffering, forgive our
enemies, temper our thirsts and desires and live with the real dignity of the sons and
daughters of the God Almighty?

Why cant we be good husbands to our wives, loving and responsible parents to our
children? Why cant we be respectful and obedient children to our elders? Why cant we
be a prayerful and peaceful family?

If we do all these, then we have truly understood the real meaning of our own lives. If we
do all these, then we have found, all the way from Bethlehem and after more than two
thousand years, the real meaning of Christmas. Close your eyes...sshhhh..listen
closely...and look...Christmas is right here in your heart.
An excerpt from Christmas Nativity presentation of the College of Education of the
Iloilo State College of Fisheries Main Tiwi Campus, Tiwi ,Barotac Nuevo Iloilo.
Writen and directed by Edmer Bermardo 3rd year English major.