Bethlehem Speaks

We are in Christmas Season. We know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. The name ‘Bethlehem’ means ‘the house of bread’. It is no wonder then that two thousand years ago, the man who was to become the bread for the world was born in that place.

Giving heed to his direction, shall we not together say to the Father, “Give us our daily bread”? According to biblical scholars, ‘give us our daily bread’ could mean also ‘give us our daily wisdom’. If so, what does ‘Bethlehem’ mean to us? Rather than being the name of a place, Bethlehem should provide us with a way of life. It should be a new approach to life. It should bring in a renewed awareness of how life should be for a disciple of Jesus. When we analyze further in the light of the wisdom that Christ alone can give us, we gather a few considerations for our reflection and meditation.

First of all, Bethlehem is a place of Silence. At this time, we are reminded of the most familiar carol, ‘Silent night’ (composed in 1818 by a priest whose name was Joseph Moore). That beautiful and melodious song led Christian world, not just to other carols of similar themes, but it was an invitation for all to learn to be in silence, solitude, and meditation.

So, in a world that is contaminated by sound pollution, Bethlehem invites us to move into silence. In that sense, Christmas is something that should happen in silence. We are aware that Joseph and Mary did not have room in any of the inns. If they were to have it, Christmas would not have been as beautiful as it is today. On that night, from the noisy space of an inn, a carpenter and his pregnant wife were directed to move into an area of silence. So, the first thought of Christmas is that as true disciples of Jesus, we should not only hate noise but love silence.

Unfortunately, we are living in a society that is too techno savvy that there is no room for silence anywhere here. We are increasingly being caught up by everything that is detrimental to silence including smart phones of latest model, and countless web pages and apps in the virtual world. Thanks to them all, we have been able to put a halt even to our desire for silence. May be avoidance of certain devices today is not practical, but an ethical use of them is certainly desirable.

Secondly, Bethlehem is an invitation to live a simple life. Basically, Christmas is a festival of poor people. What is the reason for the carpenter and his pregnant wife not to have any space in the inn? It is said that all the doors were closed against them. Maybe it is because they did not have enough money to rent. Yes, they were simple, poor people. No human deserves to live a luxurious life. It is important for Christ’s disciples to recognize that a luxurious life is a sinful life. Remember the first question that the minister at a Catholic baptism asks which is repeated at the renewal of baptismal vows: “Do you renounce Satan and all his works and empty shows?” A luxurious and pompous life is nothing but an empty show of Satan. But the contradiction is that we are living in an era where Christmas is seen as a luxurious and pompous celebration. Therefore, our celebrations are very shallow lacking in depth.

In other words, what keeps Christmas alive in our society is consumerism. Remember, even the color of Santa Claus’ dress is a reminder of coca cola products. We know that we cannot free ourselves completely from the effects of consumerism. But still, it is possible to have some ethical consumer attitudes in our daily lives. So, the second point for our reflection today is that we humans do not require too many things in order to live a happy life.

The third point on Christmas is something connected with our body. Remember the saying, ‘the Word became flesh.’ That means God took upon Godself our human flesh. But unfortunately, one of the greatest disasters that happened to humans is that we humans forgot that there is a God living in our flesh. We have forgotten that we have been created in the image and likeness of God and therefore our bodies are associated with God’s existence. We forgot that God formed the first human being out of the earth and breathed into his nostrils God’s spirit. And we continue to remain in that state of dementia. So, during this Christmas season, let us pray that we may be healed of this willful dementia and that we may remember always that the most ancient temple where God is present is human body. The child that was born at Bethlehem, would say to his hearers after about thirty-three years, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it up on the third day” (John 2:19). John the evangelist interprets it to us that he was speaking about his own body, the temple of God. So, it is desirable today that each of us thinks of taking appropriate care of our own bodies. This will include avoiding all inappropriate, sensuous desires of our bodies.

The older ones of our community should give right moral education of human sexuality to our younger ones. Theology of the body is an important area to understand. Sadly, perhaps what is available to our young people today in their virtual world and what our kids are sharing through social media is a ridiculous version of one of the most divinely sublime activities of humans. Luminous body consciousness is what we must focus on.

To summarize, Bethlehem is a house of bread. It is in this house that we utter those words, ‘give us our daily bread’. It means, give us our daily wisdom. The first pearl of wisdom that Christmas gives us is that we’ve got to be in silence, to listen to God. Secondly life needs to be simple. Thirdly let us take seriously the God who is ever present in our bodies. Merry Christmas to you all.

Rev. Dr.C.P.Varghese

St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Sidney