Christmas, a celebration of life

by Levy Abad

What’s wrong with Christmas trees, colourful lights, and buying and giving gifts for our loved ones? While reflecting on the answer to this question, I was reminded of the song by Michael Jackson, Give Love on Christmas Day. Whether one is Catholic, Orthodox, a member of the United Church of Canada, or Evangelical, each has his or her way of celebrating Christmas, usually by giving gifts. But with this tradition comes the commercialization of Christmas, which others perceive and shun as opportunistic. Well, who’s to blame? The Christmas’ “business” is just an offshoot of the collective psyche of people rooted in a two-thousand-year-old tradition called Christianity. Ostensibly, opportunities like this cannot escape the dynamics of capitalism, thus the commercialization of Advent.

Take out the concept of life, liberation, and redemption as gifts of God, rooted in the Scripture, and what would we be celebrating? John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Indeed, the birth of Yeshua or Jesus is enough to celebrate. Jesus’s immersion in our midst is like a mustard seed that will grow through the years and will yield social and spiritual blessings like hope, love, justice, freedom, and peace.

Historically, Christendom or even other belief systems, share the idea that “It is better to give than to receive.” This is the time of the year when most migrants around the world will be sending gifts to their loved ones in line with the Christmas tradition. Christmas is continuously observed so that the elementary message of giving will be ingrained in society. Who cares whether it is the actual Christmas or just a theological one, as long as the tradition of giving gifts to loved ones is continued and observed? Matthew 5:29 says, “If your eye (evil eye/ ayin raah) causes you to sin, you must tear it out at once and cast it from you.” This verse is about the concept of good eye and evil eye, which most people misunderstand without digging into the Hebraic / Aramaic idiomatic root of the concept. The evil eye referred to in Matthew is about stinginess or greediness. If one is stingy, how could a person do acts of righteousness, compassion, and mercy, among other things? How could one celebrate the season? All these revolutionary values start with “giving without expecting anything in return,” the true meaning of Christianity. Essentially, activism in the light of serving the poor and the oppressed constitutes the spirit of Christmas done every day. Jesus’s birth two thousand years ago is a gift of life. He led a revolutionary life through his liberation agenda as expressed in Luke 4:18-19 (Good news to the poor) that ended in crucifixion for the salvation of many.

Hundreds of years ago, Caesar was considered the “son of god,” but with the birth of Jesus and the radical life that he led, the Roman Empire crumbled in a protracted manner. Caesar is no more, but Rome, as a seat of Christendom and all its “strands,” still stands. What greater gift can one ask for aside from this? Most apostles offered their lives as part of the story of remembrance and resistance, a subversive memory of giving and selfless love.

With this great message, let us celebrate the holiday season by remembering our friends and those who cannot celebrate because of their dire situation brought about by evil social structures. Let us offer gifts and embrace the spirit of sharing, giving, and letting go. Only by doing this will we experience the true meaning of the season, which is the liberating and redemptive act of God in history. Every gift that we give is like a seed sown that grows in the heart of the giver and receiver. It is the only way to freedom, the radical nature of truth and liberation.

Levy Abad is the author of Rhythms and Resistance: Narrative of Filipino Musicians and Activists (1972-1994). He is also a singer-songwriter, poet, and migrant rights activist who has released four albums centred on the life and struggles of migrants.