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What is Christmas? It serves as both a memorial and a lesson. It’s a memorial of Jesus making his appearance on earth to save mankind as told in John 3:16-17, but within that memorial is a lesson on how mankind can be saved. And the memorial and the lesson of Christmas is repeated from generation to generation, similar to why the events in the Old Testament are repeated...so people don’t forget.
Within the lesson lies the mystery. The mystery is coined by writings such as the Catechism of the Catholic Church, revised in accordance with the official Latin text promulgated by Pope John Paul II. In there, Section 512 says, “All that Jesus did and taught is to be seen in the light of the mysteries of Christmas and Easter.” And Section 526 says, “Only when Christ is formed in us will the mysteries of Christmas be fulfilled.”
Where is the mystery? It is a mystery to the extent of how each person receives the holy spirit of God through Jesus. That spirit is mentioned in Joel 2:28-29 which says “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.” This is realized in Acts 2:1-4 which says “When the [fiftieth day after Passover] arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and hit filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested1 on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues las the Spirit gave them utterance.”
The mystery conjures up questions. One question is whether the effect of the Spirit is the same on everyone in terms of the degree of their acceptance of it. In a sense, it’s analogous to a lesson that is taught in a classroom. The teacher doesn’t know if each of the students are understanding the lesson in the same manner as the next one. Even a test might not bring out the thoughts of each student in hearing the lesson and relating it to their own experiences and what they know. In real life, perhaps, the test is in the form of how people who have received the Spirit may act.
But every year, Christmas comes around and as each generation is growing up, it hears of Jesus’ birth and what he stands for...It invokes peace on earth and goodwill toward eachother. The peace part is described in John 14:27 in which Jesus says “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” The goodwill part is in Jesus Second Commandment, described in Matthew 22:39 which says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Sort of inspired other mysteries which are If, and when, the world together will engage in such peace and goodwill? and Who will be around to enjoy it?
Within the lesson lies the mystery. The mystery is coined by writings such as the Catechism of the Catholic Church, revised in accordance with the official Latin text promulgated by Pope John Paul II. In there, Section 512 says, “All that Jesus did and taught is to be seen in the light of the mysteries of Christmas and Easter.” And Section 526 says, “Only when Christ is formed in us will the mysteries of Christmas be fulfilled.”
Where is the mystery? It is a mystery to the extent of how each person receives the holy spirit of God through Jesus. That spirit is mentioned in Joel 2:28-29 which says “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.” This is realized in Acts 2:1-4 which says “When the [fiftieth day after Passover] arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and hit filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested1 on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues las the Spirit gave them utterance.”
The mystery conjures up questions. One question is whether the effect of the Spirit is the same on everyone in terms of the degree of their acceptance of it. In a sense, it’s analogous to a lesson that is taught in a classroom. The teacher doesn’t know if each of the students are understanding the lesson in the same manner as the next one. Even a test might not bring out the thoughts of each student in hearing the lesson and relating it to their own experiences and what they know. In real life, perhaps, the test is in the form of how people who have received the Spirit may act.
But every year, Christmas comes around and as each generation is growing up, it hears of Jesus’ birth and what he stands for...It invokes peace on earth and goodwill toward eachother. The peace part is described in John 14:27 in which Jesus says “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” The goodwill part is in Jesus Second Commandment, described in Matthew 22:39 which says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Sort of inspired other mysteries which are If, and when, the world together will engage in such peace and goodwill? and Who will be around to enjoy it?
