Franciscan Media

Pope Francis reminds us that God’s attitude toward us is far more one of mercy than of judgment. Forgiveness and generosity are the hallmarks of the divine. The psalms tell us that God puts behind himself all our sins. Gifts, by their nature, are something we don’t deserve and can’t earn. And the greatest gift-giver is our God. If this is what our faith tells us, then our Christmas traditions should reflect this.

The Holy Family were refugees from a corrupt political situation and an unstable ruler. No matter how much Matthew focuses on the way this flight into another country fulfilled passages in the Hebrew Scriptures, the fact is they were fleeing for their lives.

At our own birth, the child of Christmas is born in us. He is our spiritual potential. But we have to let that birth find its fulfillment in a life that rises above the ordinary. You might say that we have to keep the promise of that child alive in us always. Christmas is a reminder that the child is always being born, always in the manger, and always being welcomed.

— from the book The Soul of Christmas by Thomas Moore

Christmas honors what is possible in this world: the birth of a creature who can transform the entire universe by the power of his imagination and his vision for a better world.

If we could evolve to the point of global peace, the possibilities for human creativity would be astounding, and that creativity would have an impact in the universe just as human activity today affects the planet. 

As you watch the little ones in your immediate or extended families, you know that there’s little to equal the wonder and joy in their eyes as they celebrate the lights, the decorations, the gifts and the festivities. But sometimes we get so frazzled by the preparations that we become impatient with the very ones for whom we’re expending so much time, energy, and money. Remember that children need our loving attention far more than they need another new toy under the tree.

At Christmas we don’t wish each other perfect lives but only “comfort and joy.” This is what I look for: not an end to struggle, but a level of understanding and adjustment so that we can say to each other, “Merry Christmas.”

Many people feel an underlying anxiety due to world events and the challenges of getting along in a complicated world. Christmas allows a break from that gray depression, an inner darkness reflected in the winter sky. Solstice offers symbolic hope that there may be a turn in the “weather.” The turn could take us to more genuine peace, justice, and community—key values in the Jesus teachings and qualities we expect in a renewed life turning more toward the light than the dark.