I've been spending Christmas in Davao for the last 16 years. Now that I am working at the CBCP, this is the first time that I am spending Christmas in Baclaran. The photos were taken during the Christmas eve mass last night. I am posting the homily I gave at the 8 pm mass this evening.
The Light that Shines in the
Dark
Homily for Christmas
2012, Redemptorist Church Baclaran
"The light
shines in the dark, and the darkness could not overcome the light"
Many will say that
if we have money to buy new clothes, good food, new gadgets, etc. our Christmas
would indeed by merry.
But what about those
who have less or none at all? What about the victims of calamity like those in
Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental? What about those whose loved ones have
died? What about the poor who consist the vast majority of our people? Will
their Christmas be merry?
Is it possible to
celebrate Christmas amidst tragedy, suffering, poverty, violence, etc? Can we
have a Merry Christmas when we do not have enough money? When we do not have
enough food? When we are sick?
The natural response
is no. But our readings tell us that Yes we can celebrate Christmas even in the
midst of a seeming dark world, when we feel hopeless and helpless.
The Good News that
the Gospel proclaims which we celebrate joyfully:
The Word was Made
Flesh and Dwelt among us. God has entered human history, God is with us. He is
near to us.
For people of faith,
for those who believe that the child born on a manger to a poor family was
indeed the Son of God who became one of us and who brought salvation into the
world - Christmas is a time to be merry.
A Christmas without
Christ in our hearts and in our lives is an empty meaningless Christmas even if
we have all the money to buy what we desire.
It is Christ who
brings joy to Christmas. It is also our love, generosity and capacity to share
as followers of Jesus that can bring joy to others – and to ourselves too.
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