The overriding message is one of hope. Hope for humanity, hope for peace, hope that the better angels of our nature will prevail over our darker instincts. And so we celebrate Christmas today, recognizing that there is, indeed, hope for a world in which disharmony all too often seizes the majority of our attention.
For many Americans and many people throughout the world, today celebrates the birth of Christ and the promise of eternal life. But regardless of one’s reason for acknowledging Christmas and regardless of one’s personal beliefs, the message found in Christianity is profound. As Jesus said, according to John 13:34: “A new commandment I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
The power of that message has endured for two millennia, surviving humanity’s penchant for self-destruction. In an age that seems particularly marred by strife and discord, an age in which we are all too quick to willingly divide ourselves along religious or political lines, a call to love one another must transcend those differences.
It is when love and understanding and compassion become preeminent that the true miracle of the Christmas season occurs. Those traits are highlighted at this time of year, a time when “Peace on Earth” becomes a mantra for both the religious and the secular, with constant exhortations appearing in the songs of the season or on greeting cards or in personal salutations.
While we are quick to embrace those messages of love and peace, we also are left to question why they are limited to a singular season.
On Sept. 21, 1897, editorial writer Francis Pharcellus Church of The New York Sun famously wrote: “The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are seen and unseeable in the world.”
Church was responding to a letter from an 8-year-old reader asking whether there is a Santa Claus — a fairly narrow question. Yet the wonderment expressed in his answer should linger and sustain us throughout the year instead of being restricted to the days around Christmas. Perhaps by embracing the joy and the meaning of the season, we all can help change the world for the better.
Goodness knows, that can seem difficult these days. We are bombarded with examples of inhumanity, of animosity, of unfettered hatred both in the United States and abroad. And yet most of us manage to retain a humble faith in our fellow humans and our ability to coexist in spite of conflicts. In this regard, we really are no different from our ancestors. Choose any point in history, and you will find examples of humans frequently failing to live up to our most noble ideals. Christmas offers an opportunity — and a duty — for reflections upon how we can better reflect those ideals in our lives.
That, as much as anything, reinforces the hope that is reflected by the season. In spite of our failings, we have the ability to endure, to improve, to love one another as Jesus implored us to do. May that message carry on long after the presents have been opened and the feasts have been consumed. May it carry on throughout the year as a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.
Merry Christmas to all.
