Christmas Reflection by Father Wilfred Labbe

In the seasonal classic movie, Christmas Vacation, there is a scene in which the main character, Clark Griswold, discovers that rather than receiving his traditional bonus from his workplace, he has instead been enrolled in the Jelly of the Month Club. You can imagine his disappointment at this discovery, but his not so bright cousin reminds Clark that he has received the gift that “just keeps on giving.” As well-meaning as this cousin is, Clark does not see the benefit of this type of gift. If you have seen the movie, you know the hilarious hijinks that follow this discovery.

In the scriptural narratives that recount the coming of Jesus, we are told that he will be called Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” This promised messiah, who comes to us in a very ordinary way, will be known for all ages as “God with us.” As one of us, the one that the world has been anticipating will have, save for sin, the full human experience. He will know heartache and temptation. He will know hunger and thirst. He will experience loneliness, will laugh and cry with friends, and will know what it is like to be abandoned in a time of need. Through all of this. he will be, “God with us.”

If we ponder this reality for a moment, we cannot help but conclude that the gift we celebrate at Christmas, the gift of a Messiah, a Savior, a Redeemer is truly, and in the best way possible, the gift that keeps on giving. The gift of that first Christmas continues to be God with us and continues to journey with us on our way to holiness and extraordinariness.

We must first consider that Jesus gave up paradise to become one of us. As an itinerate preacher, he went without a place to call home. He spent his time in service to others and used his power to reconcile, to heal, to feed, to teach those who were in need. Not only does Jesus give away his time and talent, but he also gives his very body as food for the journey to our exalted destiny, and he gives his last breath so that when we arrive there the gates will be opened, and we will be welcomed.

When blood and water flow from the pierced side of Jesus, we see the gift of the sacraments of baptism and Eucharist at the foundation of the Church. When Jesus sends the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Church is born. With Jesus as our head and we as the body, we become the light of Christ to a world that is slowly becoming darker and darker.

All of this simply to say that Jesus is truly the gift that keeps on giving. From the crib and from the cross, Jesus offers us reasons to hope. From the crib and from the cross, Jesus offers us freedom from fear. From the crib and from the cross, Jesus offers us the fullness of life, the forgiveness for our sins, and true and lasting peace.

These gifts that Jesus offers are not one and done. They are as present to us today as they were when they were first given. Because Jesus is “God with us,” even as we sit here today, we continue to be showered with the gifts that met the shepherds and the Wisemen who entered that stable to see the long-awaited king.

This is why Christmas is so important. It is a celebration of God becoming one of us. It is the celebration of the Son of God forever restoring dignity to a fallen people, showing them the way to eternal life, and promising to be with them forever. During this Christmas season may we all give thanks for the most valuable gift that we have ever been given, may we recommit ourselves seeking the gift that keeps on giving, may we embrace Jesus, who from the crib and from the cross is, “God with us!” Merry Christmas!

Father Wilfred Labbe is pastor of St. Matthew Parish in Limerick and St. Thérèse of Lisieux Parish in Sanford