There is no way we can talk about this year, 2020, without talking about the COVID-19 pandemic. Before we were hit by the pandemic we were already struggling with a lot of problems and the pandemic definitely made things worse. Nonetheless, the tragic circumstances shaped by the pandemic encouraged a lot of people to rise up to be their very best. If it is true that a lot of people are angry, disappointed, discouraged, hopeless, and resentful it is also true that a lot of people have come to realize what is really important in life and have come to terms with not only the pandemic but also with adversity and all the hardships we face in life. As we celebrate Christmas under unique circumstances this year we should have in mind that the circumstances around the nativity of our Savior in Bethlehem were not the best; our perception of those circumstances is quite distorted, quite inaccurate; most people base their understanding of the nativity of our Savior on a few details contained in the bible but mostly on nativity scenes and some works of art which cannot recreate all the details and sadly portray an idea that has little to do with reality, with what truly happened about two thousand years ago. The depictions of the nativity of our Savior portrayed by nativity scenes are filled with imprecisions and inaccuracies that come into conflict with reality. The first misconception that I want to point out has to do with the ethnicity of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. They were Middle Eastern and as such had to have a darker complexion. Their lighter complexion and blondeness is just the work of European artists. Were it not for the resurgence of racism we are experiencing right now I would say that this misconception is irrelevant but given the resurgence of racism even among Christians I think this detail is relevant and with it we tackle one of the several misconceptions about the nativity of our Savior. Another misconception, just as popular as the prior one, has to do with Christmas lights. There was no electricity two thousand years ago. Back then oil lamps and torches were the only source of artificial light and more likely Mary and Joseph didn’t have either of those since they were not at their home and couldn’t find a room where to spend the night. Christmas lights do not make any sense; they would make sense if Jesus had been born in Vegas, but Jesus was born in Bethlehem and it happened about two thousand years ago; another misconception has to do with the coziness that most nativity scenes portray. The place where Jesus was born was not that cozy. It seems it was a cave that was being used as a barn for smaller animals such as sheep and goats; Mary and Joseph and the child were exposed to the elements. They didn’t have the comfort of a bedroom or a house, they didn’t have the comforts that we have nowadays in our homes; they didn’t have any source of heat, any source of light, they didn’t have a bed, a stove, a pantry, an oven, and things like that. All they had, was their faith in God and their conviction.
So, if you are down, or angry, or disappointed right now, because of your circumstances or the restrictions due to the pandemic, you should compare your circumstances with those around the nativity of our Savior. If you do it right, you are going to end up giving thanks to God not only for the roof you have over your head but also for all the comforts you have under that roof and for all those around you.
May the celebration of the nativity of our Savior give us hope and strength to continue with our mission in the midst of uncertainty and adversity. Merry Christmas to all of you.