Funny isn’t it?

The greatest act of love the world has ever known, the Father’s sending His son to be with us, ultimately to die for us, becomes for some a source of division and anger.

Every year at this time there seems to be an effort to banish talk of Christ, wishing everyone “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas,” and taking offense at the depiction of Joseph and Mary and the child among oxen and lambs, supposedly because we are open and inclusive.

But the birth of Christ, the true meaning of Christmas, aroused opposition and even evil from the very first.

Herod sought to kill the child he perceived as a rival. Other infants gave their lives in the process. And the Holy Family was forced to flee to Egypt.

Looking forward even to Christ’s betrayal and crucifixion, don’t we see that the Evil One did everything he could to impede and oppose the presence and the work of Christ in the world, beginning with those first years?

Still, the greater reality of Christmas is the marvelous way that Christ has brought peace to the world. Often, warring armies have declared a truce for Christmas Day. That way, at least for that one moment, the suffering the human race inflicts upon itself has been halted in honor of him.

I have also sometimes marveled at how quiet the world has been (at least in the places where I have lived) at Christmas, with traffic and activities coming to a halt, seemingly all over. From time to time there are stories, as well, that suggest that crime rates often drop on Christmas day.

But the greatest peace that Christ brings is in our hearts.

Even today, over 2,000 years later, we read and celebrate the story of that first Christmas, and we find ourselves moved by something greater than the mere repetition of the narrative.

The idea that God would care for us so much that He would send His only son to take on our flesh in the stable is a love story we could not even have imagined. Add to that the presence of Christ who, even as a helpless infant dependent on the love of Mary and Joseph, would be the source of grace for that world and we understand the song of the Angels, “Peace on earth to people of good will.”

In short, Christmas is not just a memory. It is, even now, an on-going gift of God’s love for the world.

Please, take the time during this Christmas season to reflect upon the birth of that child. This may not require a lengthy time in formal meditation. It can be something as simple as a prayer before one of the many manger scenes that are still erected publicly or in our own homes.

Take to heart as well the meaning conveyed by the lovely traditional Christmas hymns that we sing only at this time of year.

One very significant part of Christ’s coming into the world was the simplicity of his birth. He first saw the world with his human eyes through the poverty of the manger scene described in the Gospel. What a reminder to us to have our priorities of this world right: Love for family and marriage, a restrained use of the goods of the world, and care for those who are poor and in need.

These are values that put us in touch with the Christ child and build lasting peace in the world.

To each one of you and to your families, a very blessed Christmas and New Year!