Janina Gomes –
Across many nations, Christmas has increasingly turned into a secular spectacle—marked by glittering lights, festive markets, decorated trees, mistletoe, and the relentless hum of commercial activity. For many, it has become a season for brisk business, a time when wealth circulates most among those who already possess it. Yet, how starkly this contrasts with the humble scene of Jesus’ birth: a manger meant for cattle, a setting of obscurity and silence, without the least hint of worldly grandeur. His arrival went unnoticed by the powerful, revealed instead to poor shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night.
In Indian cities and countryside, many families still keep alive cherished Christmas traditions—preparing sweets such as marzipan, kulkuls, rose cookies and rich homemade cakes that fill homes with warmth and anticipation. These treats, now also found in stores, add sweetness to the festive atmosphere. In the villages, however, Christmas retains a quieter charm. Such traditions bind families together, reminding us that this is, above all, a feast of love and togetherness. The Advent liturgy and readings, meanwhile, gently draw our attention back to the mystery itself: that Jesus’ birth was marked by simplicity, not splendour; by divine grace, not human greatness. Conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, with Joseph the humble carpenter as his guardian, Jesus chose to enter our world in poverty and humility. Yet despite these reminders, many Christians forget the profound significance of this event—that it was an act of pure love. As the Gospel of John reminds us, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son to redeem it.
Too often, people imagine God as a stern judge keeping score of every fault—a being waiting to punish rather than to forgive. But Christmas tells another story. It reveals a God of compassion, a Father who knows our fragility and loves us in spite of it. Just as families rejoice at the birth of a child, so too should we rejoice at the birth of Jesus—the one who shares our humanity, vulnerability, and mortality, yet brings with him the promise of eternal life. To understand Christmas fully, we must see beyond the cradle to the Cross and Resurrection. The Nativity is not an isolated celebration; it is the beginning of the redemptive journey that finds fulfillment at Easter. Unfortunately, modern culture often reverses this truth—turning Christmas into the grand feast and Easter into a quiet afterthought. That imbalance exists largely because Christmas sells, while Easter demands reflection and surrender.
Mary, too, stands at the heart of both stories—Christmas and Easter. She is the mother of radiant joy and the mother of deep sorrow, rejoicing in her Son’s birth yet later standing steadfast at the foot of His Cross. Her faith did not waver amid mystery, silence, or suffering. In her we see a model of trust—one that invites us, during every Christmas Mass, to believe as she believed, both in our moments of gladness and in our seasons of trial. Like Mary, many people today—often unnoticed—quietly persevere in doing good despite hardship and pain. They keep faith alive in a world that often fails to see their light.
Yet even now, we often live as though unmoved by the light Christ brought into the world. Many choose the comfort of darkness, for the light reveals what they would rather conceal. But light is inseparable from truth, and truth alone can set us free. The true meaning of Christmas, therefore, lies in this divine light that dispels fear, consoles the broken, uplifts the poor, and gives courage to the righteous who swim against the current. It shines through those who labour for justice and compassion, through every act of kindness and mercy given without expectation of reward.
This is the message of Christmas—for all people, to the very ends of the earth. It is a message for rich and poor, for seekers and believers, for the joyful and the sorrowing. It brings peace to troubled hearts and hope to those burdened by loss. It invites us all to walk in the light—a light that no darkness can overcome.