The matter of what Christmas goes beyond the sensational aspect of the capitalistic modern holiday. It goes towards the basis of the truth of the Christian faith, which has spread across time and space for over 2000 years. It is such a case that we can analyze the miracle of Christmas was not based on just the single birth of a prophet, the Son of God, but actually on the fulfilling of the law, the end of times. On this matter, Christmas became an internal moment between time and space. Christmas expands to not just the incarnation of God, but to the Salvation of mankind. Father Hans Ur von Balthasar stated, “Christmas is not an event within history but it's rather the invasion of time by eternity.” It is in such a case, that then we are reflected on what the true matter of Christmas is which is then the eternal union with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
In this situation, we can expect not just to comprehend Christmas as a basis of one moment in time and space, but actually as an internal process of the Cosmic Liturgy. This Cosmic Liturgy refers to the creation of time and space by God to the end of times. If you associate this eternity with the ancient Judaic and Catholic liturgies, we can see that in fact, the incarnation is a true reflection of the moment of Consecration or the Epiclesis. God becomes available to the world so through Him men may be transformed into the reality from which we come from. St Clement of Alexandria stated a famous line “God became man, so men can become gods.” This quotation does not refer to men being elevated to the level of God but rather to men becoming appropriate reflection within the graces of God. The more modern expression will say to be Christlike in the matter on which the human self reflects Christ in both his activities, his compassion, and his take towards the world and others. Thus, the incarnation, which is an act, also better known in the modern world as Christmas, God becomes accessible to men, moreover, this (the incarnation) becomes the first step towards the partaking of God's body in the blood. Such activity is then perfected not only in the crucifixion but also in the resurrection of Christ.
It is important that we, as Christians, protect this miracle of Christmas not just once a year but every day, when we’ll see the need we see in those struggling, and we’ll see those that need anything. Often, among Christians, we become sensationalized by the matter of external beauty of the decorative lights and the Church’s seasons, and we incorrectly detach ourselves from the world. I refer to this incorrect detachment as ignoring those who are struggling. St Athanasius wrote on this subject something simple but necessary to the internal growth of the Christian, “The Lord did not come to make a display. He came to heal and to teach suffering men. For one who wanted to make a display, the thing would have been just to appear and dazzle the beholders. But for Him Who came to heal and to teach the way was not merely to dwell here, but to put Himself at the disposal of those who needed Him, and to be manifested according to as they could bear it, not vitiating the value of the Divine appearing by exceeding their capacity to receive it.” Likewise, the incarnation of Christ is a means of God becoming not just a King like those of men, who serve from the highness of the throne, he becomes a King who serves among the poor. The Christian is called to celebrate this part of Christmas as well, since it has been already established that Christmas is an eternal moment in the relationship of time and space, then such acts are also to be eternal among the bases of the Christian faith. We are called towards the eternal servitude among one another. If we are unable to serve the neediest, we are unable to truly celebrate the Incarnation of Christ.
It is then that the Christian faith, and thus the Incarnation of Christ, is a paradox among paradoxes. The Creator of all, the King above Kings, Emperors, and all became a poor child to serve humans who are created beings. In the same sense, orthodox Christians who profess the faith above all faiths are called to serve and love even those who hate God. Such is the matter of the Christian faith in which the duality of men are transformed by the love of God. The fact is that Christmas is an eternal moment in time, in which God showed mankind the truest of his nature, that is the perfection of love. Let us then be filled with love and reflect this among one another.
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