Glory to
God in the Highest.
Ocala, Christmas ‘05
If we could possibly use
the power of concentration, and make an attempt to envision the
Heavenly Glory on this evening, some 2000 years ago, we surely
would be entranced, witnessing the Glory of God, and the Legions
of Angels He sent to herald the message of the New Born King!
Imagine, seeing and
hearing the Legions of Angels singing, "Glory to God in the
Highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men"
Peace on earth! What a
universal fervent desire! Which is the person, who does not
desire peace? However,-let us understand, that desiring peace
is one thing, and making an honest effort to achieve it, is
another.
The truly peaceful
person's understanding of life, is exercising the virtue of
peace. This person, is firstly at
peace with himself or herself, and of course with his or her
fellow humans.
But wars, hatred,
malice, animosity, which bring disaster to one and many, are the
result of self-centered people, who have no true understanding
of peace. Their self-centered life revolves around self, and how
they may be able to execute their vain ambitions. Most
assuredly, these people are not in tune with God.
In St. John's Gospel,
Chapter 14 v. 27, the Lord gave His Apostles the greatest gift;
and they in turn gave it to all of us, and for all the ages.
Shortly before the Lord was to be crucified He said: "Peace I
leave with your; My peace I give to
you."
It is this same peace, which
the Priest imparts to the Faithful in every Liturgy, repeatedly
blessing them, and saying; "Peace be unto all."
Have you ever noticed, that
during Christmas time, people generally seem to express a deeper
kinship,-- and present themselves
much more mellow, than they do the rest of the year?
During this Period, the star
of humility and love, seems to shine
a little brighter in their hearts.
And it is precisely at these
times, that I think to myself, "why
can't these feelings be expressed every day of the year? God
created us, as His sons and daughters, and blessed us to live in
peace, in harmony and in love."
Why is it then,-
that people for the most part, sense this beautiful spirit
mainly at Christmastime? I think, it is because, on the first
Christmas Day, Christ became one with us, so hopefully we might
forever be with Him, and consequently with one another.
So it
is, that in this spirit of peace, I express to you the
old salutation. "May peace come to your
home. May peace come to you, and to those, who love
you. May Christmas bring you peace,
so that you can feel it deeply down in your
heart."
I wonder though, does this
sound to you like an empty wish? It surely is not, because the
peace, of which I am speaking, does not depend on circumstances,
nor upon the state of the world!
Peace can really develop
within us, providing that we consciously pursue it. And if our
innermost selves are attuned to that unseen world of the spirit,
then, we shall fully realize, what true peace really means.
If you were to ask me, how
can a person have peace within oneself, when life is so full of
anxiety, complexity and perplexity? To this, I would say, that
one must make every effort to completely absorb himself or
herself once again, in the miracle of the New Born Babe on this
Day!.
The Lord knew well, as you
and I can never know, the stress and
strain in human life; its selfishness, its sinfulness, its
pathos, its ignorance and its weaknesses. Moreover, the Lord
felt, as you and I can never feel,
the throb of all this human agony and misery.
Yet, through it all, and in
it all, He had this peace. He moved quietly, through what
appeared as failure, seeking to accomplish the will of His
Father. He rested His spirit in the loving trust of God, so
that, in that very dark hour before He suffered, he could
bequeath to those around Him, His rich legacy of peace!
What a tremendous blessing
could come to this anxious and troubled world, if the warmth of
good-will could be spread everywhere, with the Lord's guaranteed
promise of true peace! That was the message of the Angels'
melody over Bethlehem.
Without good-will, there can
never be peace on earth, and surely, there could never be any
peace in our own interpersonal relationships.
Let us never, even for a
moment, make the supposition, as some people do, that a mere
truce in a disrupted human relationship, can be regarded as
peace;--- for surely it is not.
Peace can come, only when we
have provided room for it, in our noisy and crowded lives. Peace
can come, only when we choose to put away and bury forever, all
hatred, suspicion, prejudice, ancient feuds and grudges,
jealousies and fears.
Rest assured that we can
never hope to bring peace to our lives, if we don't seek to
acquire and possess a new spirit, and a new hope, which indeed
were offered for us to have, on this very night, 2000 years ago,
when the New Born Babe came, to make all things new, and to
guarantee our freedom and salvation!
Let us then open our hearts
wide, to receive the true spirit of Christmas; -- and pray to
God, -- that it may bring to us all, and the whole world, the
true spirit of comradeship, -- of good will, and peace. God is
always ready to bless us from Above at all times, but it is up
to us to accept His Blessing, with hearts, that truly seek to be
cleansed. Christmas brings joy to the world! Christmas brings
hope to the world. Christmas brings peace to the world, and
surely Christmas brings salvation to the world.
