Spread love this Christmas

The Christmas spirit seems to have escaped me these days. The song that keeps repeating in my head isn’t a Christmas carol but a Burt Bacharach classic from my high school years.

“What the world needs now… Is love, sweet love… It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of…What the world needs now…Is love, sweet love…No, not just for some, but for everyone…”

Maybe it is because of the dreadful things happening in the world today. So many people are dying in wars all over the world… in Ukraine…in Gaza…in Lebanon…in Syria. And there is turmoil in Georgia as people fight for their ability to continue to live in freedom. And our politicians are stealing our money and keeping many of our people poor, hungry and uneducated.

The world doesn’t seem inclined to take a Christmas break from the bleak happenings we experience year-round.

That was how it was too on the night of the first Christmas. The Israelites were under the harsh rule of the Romans. Indeed, they have been ordered to go to their hometowns to be registered in a census. That’s why St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother, about to give birth to Jesus, traveled the distance from Nazareth where they lived to Bethlehem because St. Joseph was of the tribe of Benjamin.

There was no room at the inn as everyone was traveling. The world’s Savior had to be born in a stable with sheep and other animals in a cold wintry night.

But the stable that night was warmed by the love of our Father in Heaven who so loved us that He sent His only Son to us to free us from the bondage of sin and to give us the gift of eternal life. Whatever may be troubling us, Christmas is a celebration of love, of Divine Love.

God is love and Christmas is about love. So, no matter how frustrated we may be with this world, Christmas is the season to give love. Our Father in Heaven and our Savior, Jesus Christ are the greatest examples of love. Christians can do no less than be the instrument of God’s love by sharing His love among His people.

But what is God’s Love? It is unchanging, everlasting, abounding, steadfast love that never ceases. It is Love beyond comprehension, enduring forever. God’s Love is rich in kindness. Rich in patience. And it never fails.

Love is the greatest of all virtues, the Scriptures tell us. St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians said: “If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

St. Peter in his first letter also emphasized the importance of love. “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” This suggests forgiving those who we feel have wronged us because there can be no love without forgiveness. Indeed, St. Peter is reminding us of how we are all forgiven. Christ’s death atones for, or covers, our sins. We would be condemned before God’s judgment seat because of our sins, were not for the covering death of Jesus.

The other popular song that rings in my mind today is from the Jackson 5: Give love on Christmas Day! One of its more memorable lines: Oh even the man who has everything…Would be so happy if you would bring

him love on Christmas Day…No greater gift is there than love…

This Christmas season, let us pause and give thanks for the love, hope and joy found in Jesus – our Savior and friend. The world out there may be cold and nasty but as Christians, we will overcome the world with our love.

The gifts we give each other this Christmas is in remembrance of the gift God gave us in Jesus. The gift that we are loved, are never alone and can have hope for the future.

A very Merry Christmas to everyone!

Boo Chanco’s email address is [email protected]. Follow him on X @boochanco