The Christmas Present

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Probably my favorite biblical quote, from my favorite Christmas movie; but was it on Christmas? Historical records show that the birth undoubtedly was not on December 25th. If anything, Christmas is celebrated on December 25th to coincide with the Winter Solstice and other pagan traditions that center around the birth of the Sun God and Yule. So what does Christmas and the entire Holiday Season mean to the growing multitude of people that no longer subscribe to a particular faith? What does it mean for the people who respond to the question of faith by saying, “I’m spiritual but not religious”? Does it go beyond a family gathering, parties and gifts? Is there a deeper mystery that can be felt without a label? Something bigger than oneself or one’s community?

Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. It’s the only one that my family, friends and community celebrate that encompasses an entire season and in which the idea is family, peace, goodwill and giving. I like that. It makes me feel child-like in alot of ways, no matter how old I get. But what are we celebrating?

Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus; Jews memorialize an ancient miracle of God; African-Americans contemplate their heritage; Buddhists observe the enlightenment of the Buddha; Pagans welcome the Solstice.

The majority of these celebrations center about a historical event. But what if I posit that all we have is the present? That the past and future do not exist except within the present? That we can only interact with anything or event in the present, or “the Now”. What do these historical events mean then?

I have long struggled with the inconsistencies between my foundational religion of Catholicism and my current frame of reference in regards to spiritual matters. Bridging the gap has been difficult at times, but only when I focus on the worldly details. Taoists explain this by saying “when a finger is pointing at the moon, you lose sight of all the heavenly glory by focusing on the finger”. What does the birth of the Christ into our world mean? The oil lasting for 8 days? The enlightenment of the Buddha? The heritage of African descendants? Does the history or factual certainty of it matter? What are we celebrating, what are we memorializing? How do we interact with it Now? What is the deeper mystery? What helps to illuminate the fact that what brings us together is far more powerful than what tears us apart?

Very simply - miracles happen Now, enlightenment happens Now, our heritages culminate in the Now, The Christ-Consciousness is born Now - in each of us.

It is the birth of peace into our hearts. A miracle of compassion for our fellow brothers and sisters. Our heritage of “peace on earth, goodwill towards men”. This is enlightenment. This can happen Now, with or without historical events. As a great man has astutely and profoundly stated, “We are the ones we’ve been waiting for… we are the change we seek”. We are the peacemakers, the healers, the friends, the confidants, the guardians.

Peace be with you this Christmas. This is our gift to each other.

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” - Master Oogway