Viewpoints
Christmas
By +Oscar V. Cruz, JCD
PRACTICALLY every time Christmas comes, there is one question that is usually thought of and accordingly asked: What is the meaning of Christmas? Different people even those professing the Christian creed have different understanding of Christmas and wherefore forward their likewise different appreciations of the nature/significance and implications/consequences of Christmas. And by and large, they mean well. While their different answers to the same question vary from right to wrong, in general however, they mean well – except for a few individuals who intentionally ridicule a most dear and endearing Christian commemoration.
There are those who say that Christmas is a time of spending and merrymaking, of eating and drinking much. However, they do not really mean to joke with, much less ridicule the reality of Christmas. They just do not know any better, nor exert the effort to know that what fact truly means.
These are those who say that Christmas is the time for bonuses and other perks for the over-all reason of having money to spend as well as having time t relax and to take it easy. Not bad really – considering that practically the whole year through means work, thrift and want of one kind of another.
Here is a more profound, proper, and correct understanding of Christmas: The intrinsic value of human life. The inviolability of human dignity. The respect for human rights. Why? The Good Book says: One, that man is made to the image of God – something both mysterious as well as highly dignifying. Two, that the Son of God Himself became a Man – something that elevated the status of humanity as a whole. Three, that Christ, True God and True Man, suffered, died, and resurrected for the whole human race – something that affirms and confirms the inherent worth of every human person – irrespective of their race, color, and creed.
Thus it is that while Christmas may mean different things to different individuals, its centerpiece teaching and core message is in effect one and the same: Human life is priceless. Human dignity is inviolate. Human rights are inestimable.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
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