Beyond the Clouds by Fr. Jacob Nampudakam, S.A.C. | Page 31

1 October 2016, the Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux • Elected to a second
term as Rector General
As I was beginning my second term, it came to mind that I should be
celebrating Christmas at one of our most remote missions. When we look at the
birth of Jesus- God’s most precious Son- we see a poor babe in a manger,
wrapped in swaddling clothes. Our Saviour was not in the presence of princes
or kings, but of pastors and animals.
How has this truth given birth to the luxurious, commercialized Christmas
celebrations in the comfort of our communities? Jesus, our Redeemer, chose
such a way to be born! Incredible. Let us think of Mary and Joseph- parents to
whom God gave the greatest responsibility of raising His Son- left wandering to
find shelter for His birth. It was a pain of humility amidst Blessed Mary’s
pains of labor.
During the devastating flood of my home state of Kerala, India, in August
2018, people found a pregnant lady trapped in a flooded house. Thanks be to
God, she was found with just enough time to be airlifted to the hospital, and
she gave birth to a healthy baby. A photo of the happy mother and child were
later published, projected by the media as a wonderful show of humanity.
However, the Holy Family was not so lucky. But never a complaint or grudge,
as that was the design of God. Jesus could have been born in a palace; God
could have saved us in an infinite number of ways. Yet God saved us through
the way of humility, poverty, and sacrifice. That was, is, and always will be
the divine way.
Thus, a Christmas celebration in a royal style is absolutely contradictory to
the way of the Gospel. A joyous reunion, some good food, and decorations are
all fine to manifest our happiness at the birth of our Savior.
What strikes me most often is the contradiction between the Jesus of the
Gospel, and the Jesus of our creation. The distance is often too much! We may
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