The gospel today narrates the circumstances of Christ’s conception and birth. The Christ, who is to be born shall be called “Emmanuel” (cf. Matthew 1:23), which means “God-with-us.”
As we prepare for Christmas day, in which we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, let us never lose sight of the fact that the one who is to be born is God, Himself. It is God who has taken a human nature in order to be close to us men.
Christmas has always had the connotation of peace. On Christmas night, the angels that appeared to the shepherds announced a message of peace to all men of good will. The baby who is born is called the “Prince of Peace.” And it is really fitting that we reflect today about peace.
Every once in a while, we are faced with the threat of violence and bloody conflict. Perhaps, with that threat, we can begin to appreciate better what peace is.
Those humdrum days of going to work or school, that we may have taken for granted, are not useless and unexciting days.
Peace is not just the absence of war and conflict. It is not a sleepy and boring situation that involves no movement. The classical definition of peace is “tranquility in order.”
It is the state of rest when the different elements involved occupy their proper places (not just in the physical sense) within the plan of the universe.
It is compatible with dynamism and movement, provided that this dynamism is within that sphere of order. Peace is not a “stalemate,” but it is rather a harmonious reality.
When we speak of international or national peace, we refer to that state in the world or in a given society in which the different organisms enjoy their proper freedom to pursue their legitimate goals.
But that order in the international spheres ultimately depends on the order found in the heart of each person who comprises these societies. If there is no peace in the heart of each man, there will always be conflict in the end, because a dissatisfied heart will always find a bone of contention. But how is each man to enjoy that peace of heart?
The most important and vital order that we have to confront is our order, our relationship, with God our creator. We can never have real peace unless we can be at peace with our own conscience, and we can acknowledge our relationship of creature hood to God.
Christ’s coming is the greatest help we can have for this task. Since Christ is God, Himself, yet appearing to us in human form, we can easily relate to Him.
It becomes easy for us to acknowledge Christ as our Lord and Master because He is so accessible. It becomes easy for us to love Christ because He has loved us first by coming down to our level and suffering, and dying on the cross for us.
When we strive to put Christ in our hearts, we shall find peace inside ourselves. And this inner peace can be the basis for a dealing in peace with our fellowmen, who are all equally brothers of this Christ whom we love.