NINE MONTHS ago COVID19 came but do you know what else happened within those previous months? Exactly nine months ago the Annunciation took place the Angel Gabriel appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary and after Her fiat the child was formed in Her womb and now we celebrate the birth of our Savior Lord Jesus Christ.
What do you miss most these nine months of COVID? “Alam ko miss natin ang lumabas at magpasyal, miss natin ang kumain sa labas, miss natin ang mga kaibigan at lahat ng malapit sa atin, ang laki ng pagkakaiba tulad ng dati because we celebrate birthdays, reunions, and other events virtually or from a distance, but you know there is one thing I miss so much, I miss seeing the faces of my relatives, close friends, and mentors because we have to wear masks. I miss seeing their faces, and their smiles. Because of COVID we were told to wear masks and we cannot see one another. But every Christmas, God takes away His mask and allows us to see Him, we see God and God looks at us. It resembles how a mother longs to see the face of her newborn child after nine months of pregnancy, the longing of the parents to see the smile of their child. On Christmas Day, we see Jesus, we see His face, we see His smile and He also sees our faces. This is the real meaning of Christmas, we see the Son of God face to face.
Because of COVID we were told to practice social or physical distancing, one day I met a friend whom I have not seen a long, long time. “Nagulat ako because hindi ko naman siya yayakapin pero nung medyo napalapit ako umatras siya.” Did you had the same experience? Ang sabi we have to maintain one meter apart or sometimes even two meters. On Christmas Day, Jesus appears to us and comes so close to us, we can literally hug Him. This is the second meaning of Christmas, God is not far from us, He is not distant from us, but instead He is so close to us and we can hold Him.
The third thing COVID told us is to wash our hands with soap and water but Jesus washes us not only with soap and water but with His own precious blood to wash away our sins. These three things are what Christmas means. The Son of God taking off His mask so that we can see Him face to face, so that we can see His face and He can see our faces that we can see His smile and that He can smile at us. Christmas tells us that God is not distant from us unlike people, He chose to be one with us, to be close to each one of us and the Child that is born will wash our sins with His own blood. Because of these, we celebrate in spite of COVID. Christmas is the opposite of COVID. If COVID tells us to wear our masks, to be physically distant, to wash our hands, Christmas tells us, God has taken off His mask to see us and to allow us to see Him, God has become so close to us, we can touch Him, we can hug Him, we can kiss Him. God has come to wash away our sins with His own precious blood.
My prayer this year during our celebration of Christmas is we may come to appreciate and understand the real meaning of Christmas. I think it is good somehow that we do not have the external celebration of Christmas, that we may be able to go to the real meaning, to the essence of the Son of God being born for you and for me. As Pope Francis said in his Christmas message, “The birth of Jesus is the “newness” that enables us to be reborn each year and to find in Him, the strength needed to face every trial.” We are never alone. Jesus is with us wherever we go, sharing our trials and fears, sorrows and joy. He is the Light of the World. Happy birthday Jesus!
