Gift Wraps

We are in the season of gift-giving and gift-receiving. Like our Christmas gifts, Jesus may come wrapped this Christmas. On the first Christmas, He came inside another person, His mother Mary. This Christmas, He may come inside another person, and the wrapping will not be impressive. We will be tempted to throw the package away, assuming nothing of value is inside. Like Joseph, we will be tempted 'to divorce her quietly' (Mt 1:19). In doing that, we will unknowingly divorce Jesus and therefore Christmas.

The innkeeper made the same mistake (Lk 2:7). The Messiah came in the package of a man and his teenage wife. The innkeeper wouldn't accept it. Jesus may come to us inside a poor man. He may come inside a person whom we dislike. Like the innkeeper, people often reject Him in these. He comes wrapped in a fetus in a mother's womb, but he is not allowed to be born by abortionists and free choice advocates; worst, as a fetus he becomes good only as a source for stem-cells being researched by the embryonic stem-cell advocates.

He may come wrapped in the Bible, but we see people who divorce themselves from the Bible and most people do not have time to read it.

We always hear messages saying that Christmas should be celebrated everyday. We are already doing that because Jesus always comes wrapped in the Holy Mass. That's why it's called Christ-Mass.

Let us be careful that we may not throw away a package with Jesus inside.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to all!!!