Catholic Diocese of Broome

Christmas is an excellent time for counting our blessings and striving more than ever to learn to live our lives with a generous heart.

Some years ago I was approached to support a local scheme that raised money to buy and distribute children's toys for Christmas. I congratulated the secretary of the community group doing the fundraising on their enthusiasm. "Well" she said, "it's for the kids and after all Christmas is for kids, really, isn't it?" I agreed. I certainly wouldn't deny that. But I suggested that one Christmas present that is waiting to be discovered by many of us is the wonderful blessing that Christmas promises the world.

In the happy faces of children on a Christmas morning we can find something deeper and more meaningful and more lasting than mere momentary pleasure. In prayerful contemplation we can see what goodness there is in giving. We can be inspired to live our lives selflessly as we learn to be grateful to our loving God for His generosity to us. Christmas, we will come to appreciate, is for everyone.

In that stable in Bethlehem there were no high tech toys but there was happiness. The poor cloths that wrapped the baby as he lay in his simple manger had no designer labels on them but there was care-filled joy nonetheless. There was no feast to be had, no puddings to devour, and no presents to unwrap but there was contentment and peace.

The marvel of Christmas begins with the generosity of God. God who loves and gives. God who nourishes and sustains. God who carries us beyond the terrible disappointments that impact upon us with remarkable regularity. God in His goodness leads us always onward to find meaning and direction in our lives.

The incarnation, whereby God's only Son entered into humanity and became flesh, is the story of God's blessing for us. It is his gift designed to show us a way of living that fulfils our humanity, which allows us to become more fully human, as in the image of the One who created us. God's gift to the world that first Christmas gave us the Messiah, the Chosen One, who's every moment of life has been an example of grace and generosity. This gift is made ever present still today through the work of the Holy Spirit among us. With such a realization in our hearts we thrive, fulfilled, as he intended.

Look in the beaming face of a jubilant child and see more than just momentary happiness. See for yourself a life of peace and contentment. Know what joy there is in human fulfillment when life is regarded as a gift to be cherished and shared as generously as it was given by the God who loves us.