Love Came Down at
Christmas
Dr. Fr. Davis George
A prince wanted to find a maiden
suitable to be his queen. One day while running an errand in the local village
for his father he passed through a poor section. As he glanced out of the
windows of the carriage his eyes fell upon a beautiful peasant maiden. During
the ensuing days he often passed by the young lady and soon fell in love. But
he had a problem. How would he seek her hand? He could order her to marry him.
But even a prince wants his bride to marry him freely and voluntarily and not
through coercion. He could put on his most splendid uniform and drive up to her
front door in a carriage drawn by six horses. But if he did this he would never
be certain that the maiden loved him or was simply overwhelmed with the entire
splendor. The prince came up with another solution. He would give up his kingly
robe. He moved, into the village, entering not with a crown but in the garb of
a peasant. He lived among the people, shared their interests and concerns, and
talked their language. In time the maiden grew to love him, because of who he
was and because he loved her first.
Amazing power of love we see in the
world; in human beings; in birds and animals; in the world of creation. A
mother sacrificing her entire life for her children out of love. A young man
and woman in love ready to go through all struggles to keep their love growing.
Genuine love will not count the cost but will give and give; will make time and
space for the person we are in love with. “God so loved the world that he gave
his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have
eternal life. (Jn 3:16). God did not become a human being for any particular
nation or religion or group. God loved the world consisting of different
languages, cultures, religions, traditions and belief systems; saints and
sinners. Seven hundred years before the
birth of Christ it was foretold, “A virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and
his name shall be called Emmanuel” (Which means God with us) (Is 7:14). What an
amazing story of God’s unconditional love for humankind. And that is what we
see on the first Christmas night. Love came down.
He came in the silence of the
night piercing the darkness of the night and bringing light and salvation. As written in the book of Wisdom centuries
before the birth of Christ, “For while gentle silence enveloped all things, and
night in its swift course was now half gone, thy all-powerful word leaped from
heaven, from the royal throne, into the midst of the land that was doomed, a
stern warrior carrying the sharp sword of thy authentic command, and stood and
filled all things with death, and touched heaven while standing on the earth.”
(Wis 18:14-16)
Man landed on the Moon on July
20, 1969 and came back to earth successfully.
2000 years ago God came to this world leaving behind his glory and power
to live among us and save us from sin and death. Longest Journey of love not to explore the
World but to save humankind. “In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling
among us.” (John 1:1,14) And for this
Jesus had to strip himself of the glory and honour he had and become an
ordinary human being. “He emptied himself taking the form of a servant…and made
himself obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” (Phil 2:6-8) Love is a
journey of self emptying and humility.
What does love look like? St.
Augustine said, “It has feet to go to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see
misery and want. It has ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of others.” Love
came down when Jesus showed compassion, love and forgiveness. Love came down when Jesus encountered the
Samaritan woman; the woman caught in adultery, Zacchaeus, Mathew the tax
collector and transformed their lives.
Love came down when he made the deaf hear, the dumb speak, the lame walk
and the blind see. Love came down when
he multiplied five loaves and two fish and fed over five thousand people. Love came down when he died on the cross for
others and prayed, "Father,
forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Lk 23:24)
We can show love when we go out
of the comfort zone, go to the peripheries, to the last, the least and the
lost. Love has to appear in action. “Let
us not love in word or in speech, but in deed and in truth.” (1 Jn 3:18) And that is what God did on the first
Christmas night. In today’s world we
need to establish a culture of love, a civilization of love. We need a
revolution of tenderness as Pope Francis said. Hatred and violence will not
solve any problem. Only love in action. Love is patient and kind, Love is not
jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude... (1 Cor 13). Mother Teresa once said, “What can you do to
promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” Love begins in your heart,
in your home. Less of self-righteousness
and religious fundamentalism; more of compassion, empathy, kindness and understanding.
We deserve a better world.
The famous author, Leo Buscaglia once
talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to
find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next
door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon
seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed
onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked what he had said to the
neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry". Leo Buscaglia said, "Too often we
underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an
honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential
to turn a life around." Let us
build a better world and treat each other as children of the same God with
humility, respect and kindness. As Christina Rossetti wrote in her poem, “Love
came down”:
“Love shall be our token,
Love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.”
Love be yours and love be mine,
Love to God and all men,
Love for plea and gift and sign.”
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MkW0 Qknj Msfol tkWtZ
bl lalkj esa izse dh vn~Hkqr “kfDr fn[kkbZ nsrh
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lajpuk esaA ,d ek¡ vius cPps ds fy, izseiwoZd viuk iwjk thou lefIkZr dj nsrh
gSA izse esa ;qok&;qorh viuk iwjk thou ,d&nwljs ds thou dh dfBukbZ;ksa
dk lkeuk djus dsfy, lefiZr dj nsrs gSaAlPpk izse flQZ nsuk tkurk gS] ysuk ughaA
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gSA ijes”oj us txr ls ,slk izse j[kk fd ml us viuk ,dykSrk iq= ns fn;k] rkfd
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izse fd;kA
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;gh ckr fØlel dh og jkr esa fn[kkbZ nsrh gS] tc izse /kjrh ij mrj vk;kAog jkr
dh [kkeks”kh esa /kjrh ij T;ksfr vkSj mn~/kkj ysdj vk;kA tSls dh izKk xzUFk esa
fy[kk gS] ^^tc lkjh i`Foh ij xgjk lUukVk Nk;k gqvk Fkk] vkSj jkf= rhoz xfr ls
vk/kh chr pqdh Fkh rc rsjk loZ”kfDreku opu rsjs vifjorZuh; fu.k;Z dh ryokj
ysdj] LoxZ esa rsjs jktdh; flagklu ij ls ,d nqnZE; ;ks)k dh rjg ml vfHk”kIr
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