Keep the Christmas star shining

Monday, December 30, 2013

Father Manny Alvarez

English Spanish

A couple of years ago, I walked into a Macy’s on Dec. 27 and found not a single trace of Christmas. Last year, when I visited my parents for a couple of days, I noticed Christmas trees dumped on the side of the road waiting for garbage pickup on Dec. 26.

I don’t get it. Why is the world so quick to discard Christmas? Why must we put this glorious celebration behind us as if it were something we had to do and are thankful that it is finally over?

In the Church, the Christmas season lasts until next week, when we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord; so you will see the decorations even though the world has moved on. But before that we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany, when Christ is revealed to all nations.

In the Epiphany Gospel, three men from the East come looking for the newborn king of the Jews. Foreigners come looking for Jesus while his own people fail to recognize him. All the signs were there: the star, the words in Scripture, their longing for a Messiah. Jesus was in their midst but even the king’s own priests and scribes failed to recognize what three foreigners recognized.

The beauty of this day — and the entire Christmas season for that matter — is that we marvel and do homage to this God-child who was born for us. Like the Magi, we rejoice upon seeing the star, and we prostrate ourselves in the presence of the newborn king who shines brighter than any star. But the world seeks to hide that star or diminish its light.

The feast of the Epiphany is a reminder that the light of our faith must shine as that star did over Bethlehem. This light must be in the heart of every Christian so the spirit of Christmas doesn’t vanish when we go back to school or, as the Church calls it, “ordinary time.”

The world will leave the joy of Christmas behind. As Christians, we should not.

So it comes down to this as we continue our Christmas celebration: Are we going to be like Herod and his priests who fail to see the beauty of the presence of Christ in their midst? Or are we going to be like the Magi and recognize Jesus in our midst, seek him out and share his light?

Comments from readers

Mirtha de la Torre - 01/01/2014 08:31 PM

Father Manny: Thanks you for the reflextion that your comment make us to do. Thanks you because Christmas it's a light that every Cristian need to magnificate and protect. In this culture of descarte as Papa Francisco have call we can't continue been indiferents. Our symbols have meanning and those can't be trow it away as a garbage. Today is the Tree... what could be tomorrow? Nativity is a season. And the beginning of the Cristianity is it reason.

Lisa Pinto - 12/31/2013 06:27 AM

Thank you, Father Alvarez for the encouraging reminder. May we as Catholics start a movement of "Merry Christmas" throughout every day of Christmas! And keep those decorations up, especially the Nativity creche that draws us into the wonder of that Holy Night and invites us to continuously turn to Our Lord with hands full of gifts for Him and good deeds for our brothers and sisters!

Barbara Howard - 12/30/2013 10:32 PM

I facilitate a Christmas workshop each year based on the book Unplug the Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love and Joy Back Into the Season. It has been a wonderful jumping off point for those seeking better ways to continue celebrating Christmas after Dec. 25. It has really changed how our family celebrates. Starting the day after Christmas, we move the 3 wise men from our nativity to different locations around the house until they visit Jesus on Jan. 6. Also on Jan. 6 we write down our gifts to Jesus for the new year -- replacing new year's resolutions. Thank you for your observations. Change can be difficult, but as Matthew Kelly says, "It's easier to say no when there is a bigger YES!" Happy 6th Day of Christmas.

Lourdes Armas - 12/30/2013 08:26 PM

Cada vez que digo Feliz Navidad me miran como si estuviera fuera de tono, por eso contio usando es exprecion hasta que la Navidad termine El dia del Bautizmo de Jesus, Gracias por sus comentarios

Andrew Meszaros - 12/30/2013 10:40 AM

Dear Fr. Manny Alvarez:

Thank you for this much needed observation. Our society tends to turn Christmas into a parody of sorts whereby Advent is not understood as a penitential season of preparation but a time of intense discount hunting and shopping spree; Christmas is regarded as a single-day event of gift-trading under the auspices of the jolly Santa promptly to be replaced by �Valentine's� - devoid of any religious significance, whereupon Lent is ignored or treated as a time for Carnivals to be followed by the sudden appearance of the Easter Bunny. I wish our parishes would resist these trends, perhaps by giving greater allowance to liturgical austerity and silence during Advent and Lent.

Victor Martell - 12/30/2013 10:08 AM

Padre: muy maravilloso su articulo; la respuesta es bien simple: Por qu� las tiendas de ventas han tratado de cambiar la Navidad y convertirla en unos dias de compras de regalos, fiestas, bailes etc. olvidandose del verdadero significado de la fecha; El celebrar el nacimiento de JESUS por ello han cambiado la frase de Merry Christmas por Happy Holidays, fijese en los adornos ya no incluyen el clasico Belen y en algunos lugares ni siquiera ponen el arbol de navidad, estan tratando de cambiar esta gran fecha, quizas la ,mas importante para un cristiano por una fiesta pagana.
Por ello nosotros en Radio Paz y nuestra conferencia de San Vicente de Paul entregamops juguetes el Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos, porque no estamos de acuerdo con ese mu�eco barrig�n que llaman Santa Claus, el verdadero santo fue San Nicolas y regalaba los jugutes que el mismo hacia a los hijos de sus parroquianos en su iglesia. Lo otro no es mas que la creaci�n de los negociantes para llenar sus bolsillos, olvidandose de los necesitados y de los que nada tienen.

Alicia M. - 12/30/2013 09:10 AM

Fr. Manny,
Thank you for your article. It is very easy to discard the Christmas tree and put the house in order, but this is a good reminder that we are still celebrating the birth of Christ until his Baptism. Great example to give to our children, and to continue the celebration to share the light.

Mirtha de la Torre - 01/01/2014 08:31 PM: Father Manny: Thanks you for the reflextion that your comment make us to do. Thanks you because Christmas it's a light that every Cristian need to magnificate and protect. In this culture of descarte as Papa Francisco have call we can't continue been indiferents. Our symbols have meanning and those can't be trow it away as a garbage. Today is the Tree... what could be tomorrow? Nativity is a season. And the beginning of the Cristianity is it reason.

Lisa Pinto - 12/31/2013 06:27 AM: Thank you, Father Alvarez for the encouraging reminder. May we as Catholics start a movement of "Merry Christmas" throughout every day of Christmas! And keep those decorations up, especially the Nativity creche that draws us into the wonder of that Holy Night and invites us to continuously turn to Our Lord with hands full of gifts for Him and good deeds for our brothers and sisters!

Barbara Howard - 12/30/2013 10:32 PM: I facilitate a Christmas workshop each year based on the book Unplug the Christmas Machine: A Complete Guide to Putting Love and Joy Back Into the Season. It has been a wonderful jumping off point for those seeking better ways to continue celebrating Christmas after Dec. 25. It has really changed how our family celebrates. Starting the day after Christmas, we move the 3 wise men from our nativity to different locations around the house until they visit Jesus on Jan. 6. Also on Jan. 6 we write down our gifts to Jesus for the new year -- replacing new year's resolutions. Thank you for your observations. Change can be difficult, but as Matthew Kelly says, "It's easier to say no when there is a bigger YES!" Happy 6th Day of Christmas.

Lourdes Armas - 12/30/2013 08:26 PM: Cada vez que digo Feliz Navidad me miran como si estuviera fuera de tono, por eso contio usando es exprecion hasta que la Navidad termine El dia del Bautizmo de Jesus, Gracias por sus comentarios

Andrew Meszaros - 12/30/2013 10:40 AM: Dear Fr. Manny Alvarez:

Thank you for this much needed observation. Our society tends to turn Christmas into a parody of sorts whereby Advent is not understood as a penitential season of preparation but a time of intense discount hunting and shopping spree; Christmas is regarded as a single-day event of gift-trading under the auspices of the jolly Santa promptly to be replaced by �Valentine's� - devoid of any religious significance, whereupon Lent is ignored or treated as a time for Carnivals to be followed by the sudden appearance of the Easter Bunny. I wish our parishes would resist these trends, perhaps by giving greater allowance to liturgical austerity and silence during Advent and Lent.

Victor Martell - 12/30/2013 10:08 AM: Padre: muy maravilloso su articulo; la respuesta es bien simple: Por qu� las tiendas de ventas han tratado de cambiar la Navidad y convertirla en unos dias de compras de regalos, fiestas, bailes etc. olvidandose del verdadero significado de la fecha; El celebrar el nacimiento de JESUS por ello han cambiado la frase de Merry Christmas por Happy Holidays, fijese en los adornos ya no incluyen el clasico Belen y en algunos lugares ni siquiera ponen el arbol de navidad, estan tratando de cambiar esta gran fecha, quizas la ,mas importante para un cristiano por una fiesta pagana.
Por ello nosotros en Radio Paz y nuestra conferencia de San Vicente de Paul entregamops juguetes el Dia de los Tres Reyes Magos, porque no estamos de acuerdo con ese mu�eco barrig�n que llaman Santa Claus, el verdadero santo fue San Nicolas y regalaba los jugutes que el mismo hacia a los hijos de sus parroquianos en su iglesia. Lo otro no es mas que la creaci�n de los negociantes para llenar sus bolsillos, olvidandose de los necesitados y de los que nada tienen.

Alicia M. - 12/30/2013 09:10 AM: Fr. Manny,
Thank you for your article. It is very easy to discard the Christmas tree and put the house in order, but this is a good reminder that we are still celebrating the birth of Christ until his Baptism. Great example to give to our children, and to continue the celebration to share the light.