On this day, we are commemorating the biggest event in human history. It was on a momentous night, over two thousand years ago, when God had fulfilled His promise to the people of the world - salvation from the wrath of sin and death. Today, “the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14a)

My dear friends, Jesus is the ultimate promise of the Father, the paramount of His Love and Mercy to His creation. Through Him, everything was renewed in ways we can never imagine. In His birth, we are now experiencing the kind of hope we have never experienced in our wretched lives. In His humble nativity, we are rekindled to the faith we ought to give to our Lord and God. In His joyous coming, we are exposed to a deeper kind of love that only the Lord can provide us.

So today, my dear friends, let us light our Christmas candles and remember that Jesus is “the light of the world” (John 8:12)

But, with what is happening around us, do we really deserve the kind of love, the type of hope, and the aspect of faith endowed to us in Baptism? Are we also rekindled in our mission as Catholics given the fact we are all locked away because of the pandemic? What’s left in the glad tidings knowing we cannot celebrate it fully for fear of death and afflictions brought by the coronavirus disease? What is the true essence of Christmas that makes it worth celebrating even in times when we’re no longer sure.

Pandemic or not - Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas. There is nothing more than that. Christmas is more than just giving gifts and hosting parties. We are called to celebrate Christmas as a solemn remembrance that our loving God once made a huge decision that saved us all - to become a human being like us and show us the way to salvation Himself. The essence of Christmas is love, and through the love we can show to each other despite the limitations we face, we can celebrate Christmas just the way it should be. The mission isn’t about becoming a pompous Catholic. The mission is to be Catholic who is one with the Church in celebrating the joy of the season and salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

My dear friends, the true essence of Christmas is love. In love, we find light and joy. In Jesus, we find the same because He is love. The essentials of a solemn Christmastide is not what is displayed on the table or what is wrapped beneath those gift boxes. It is in our faith that we remember how He loves us so much that he endured everything - from the moment of His humble birth up to His death on the Cross. Through the mysteries of our faith we draw Hope that will inspire us to become a better Catholic, to remain universal in our truths and affections, to be more encouraging to those who are losing it all, and to show them what it’s like to trust God above everything else. Through Hope, we enjoy the fruits of Love that were endowed to us by the Lord, who is the Holy Spirit, where we can show the world that the only way to salvation is through loving one another, not just in romantic or filial sense but a kind of love that endures everything just to make everyone feel it. It is the true meaning of Christmas. It is the ultimate reason we celebrate it year after year. It is what makes Christmas the best time of the year.