For peace on earth this Christmas Day
AFTER Mary gave birth to her firstborn son, she wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, where farm animals usually had their food, in a stable in Bethlehem of Judea south of Jerusalem, because there was no room for the family in the inn.
St. Luke proceeds to tell the story of how the world learned of the holy birth:
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.
“And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.’
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ ”
The first people who were told of the birth of Christ were shepherds, the humblest and the poorest people of the land. And the message of the angels was to hail God in his glory and then to wish peace and goodwill to men.
Today, possibly the humblest and the poorest people on this earth are the migrants seeking to escape conflict and poverty in their own lands. Pope Francis has put migrants at the center of his papacy, taking every opportunity to appeal to nations and their governments to help these homeless wanderers. The Pope was especially concerned about the children of migrants in his last Christmas message. “May our hearts not be closed as they were in the homes of Bethlehem,” he said.
The angels who gave the shepherds the good news of Christ’s birth ended by praising God and wishing for peace on earth and goodwill to men. Peace remains elusive in today’s world. Fighting continues in Syria and most of the rest of the Middle East but there is new hope for peace in Yemen.
In our own country, we continue to suffer from fighting between government forces and the New People’s Army and there is continuing violence in the police effort to wipe out the drug menace and now in the beginning of the election campaign.
On this Christmas Day, may we see beyond the joy and merriment of the season and see its significance as the birth of Christ the Savior and join the angels in calling and striving for peace on our earth.