By REV. LUNA DINGAYAN
www.nordis.net

‭“‬She gave birth to her first son,‭ ‬wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger
—there was no room for them to stay in the inn.‭”
-‭ ‬Luke‭ ‬2:7

Popular Interpretations

‭ ‬Christmas means differently to different people.‭ ‬For some it means a time for family re-unions.‭ ‬Members of the family here and abroad will come home and celebrate Christmas together with parties and sumptuous food.‭ ‬For others,‭ ‬it means a time to decorate their homes and business establishments with Christmas lights,‭ ‬lanterns,‭ ‬and various kinds of decorations,‭ ‬and exchange gifts with each other.‭

For the indigenous peoples,‭ ‬like the Lumads in Mindanao,‭ ‬the Mangyans in Mindoro,‭ ‬the Aetas in Zambales,‭ ‬and some old people in the Cordilleras‭; ‬it is a time to come down to the lowlands and beg in the streets and in the homes.‭ ‬For the various offices,‭ ‬both public and private,‭ ‬it is a time to give Christmas bonuses.‭

Generally speaking,‭ ‬when Christmas comes,‭ ‬people suddenly become generous and considerate,‭ ‬and spendthrift.‭ ‬Thus,‭ ‬business establishments will take advantage of the situation and make all sorts of promos and business gimmicks to gain more profits using various forms and symbols of Christmas.‭ ‬Similarly,‭ ‬civic and religious organizations do all sorts of fund-raising during the Christmas season.

‭ ‬Perhaps,‭ ‬Christmas is the most celebrated of all Christian festivals,‭ ‬but also the most distorted and most commercialized.‭ ‬It is sad to say that Santa Claus becomes more popular than Jesus during the Christmas season.

Two Dates of Jesus‭’ ‬Birth
‬Subjective interpretations of Jesus‭’ ‬birth are not new.‭ ‬The universal church was first divided in‭ ‬1053‭ ‬into two parts:‭ ‬the Western Church called the Roman Catholic Church,‭ ‬and the Eastern Church called the Greek Orthodox Church.‭ ‬The Western Church celebrates Christmas on December‭ ‬25,‭ ‬while the Eastern Church celebrates Christmas on January‭ ‬6.‭ ‬For the Western Church January‭ ‬6‭ ‬is the Feast of the Wise Men from the East.

‭ ‬We don’t really know the exact date of Jesus‭’ ‬birth.‭ ‬This was not preserved in the Scriptures.‭ ‬But why do we celebrate Jesus‭’ ‬birth in the Philippines on December‭ ‬25‭? ‬Churches in our country,‭ ‬Roman Catholic and Protestant alike,‭ ‬belong historically to the Western Church.‭ ‬When Rome became a Christian city in‭ ‬313‭ ‬BCE under Emperor Constantine,‭ ‬the Roman Christians continued to celebrate their thanksgiving festival on December‭ ‬25‭ ‬as they used to do when they were still pagans to honor the birth of their gods and goddesses.‭

Before Rome became a Christian city,‭ ‬the Romans believed that the gods and goddesses are born on December‭ ‬25,‭ ‬which is the beginning of the solstice.‭ ‬And since there was no record of Jesus‭’ ‬exact date of birth,‭ ‬the Roman Christians therefore adopted December‭ ‬25‭ ‬as Jesus‭’ ‬birth like their pagan gods and goddesses.‭ ‬This is precisely the reason why some Christians today do not celebrate Christmas on December‭ ‬25,‭ ‬because of its pagan origin.‭

However,‭ ‬some would think that the date of Jesus‭’ ‬birth does not matter.‭ ‬Any day of the year can be a Christmas day.‭ ‬It is the life that Jesus lived that really matters,‭ ‬that makes a Christmas day significant,‭ ‬whether the celebration is on December‭ ‬25‭ ‬or January‭ ‬6.

Two Stories of Jesus‭’ ‬Birth
Aside from the date,‭ ‬there are also two stories of Jesus‭’ ‬birth as recorded in the Scriptures:‭ ‬one in the Gospel of Matthew‭ (‬Matthew‭ ‬1:18-2:23‭) ‬and another in the Gospel of Luke‭ (‬Luke‭ ‬2‭)‬.‭ ‬There is no nativity story in the Gospel of Mark,‭ ‬while in the Gospel of John Jesus came on earth like the story of Adam in the Book of Genesis‭ (‬cf.‭ ‬Gen.‭ ‬2‭) ‬without passing through the pain of childbirth.

‭ ‬The two stories in the Gospels are completely different from each other.‭ ‬Obviously,‭ ‬the stories speak more of the concerns of the Gospel writers rather than the details of what really happened in Jesus‭’ ‬birth.‭ ‬In the Gospel of Matthew,‭ ‬Jesus was born in a house,‭ ‬while in the Gospel of Luke Jesus was born in a manger.‭ ‬In the Gospel of Matthew,‭ ‬Jesus was visited by the wise men from the East,‭ ‬while in the Gospel of Luke Jesus was visited by the shepherds of the fields.‭

Obviously,‭ ‬the interpretations of the Gospel writers were colored by their respective emphasis.‭ ‬Matthew addressed his Gospel to the relatively rich Jewish Christians of his day who believed that Jesus was the Messiah,‭ ‬the King of the Jews they were longing to come in the fullness of time to set them free from their colonizers‭; ‬while Luke addressed his Gospel to the poor Gentile Christians of his time who believed that Jesus was the savior not only of the Jews but also of the Gentiles,‭ ‬not only of the rich but also of the poor,‭ ‬like those who are born in a manger.

Meaning of Jesus‭’ ‬Birth
Indeed,‭ ‬people through the ages have interpreted Christmas,‭ ‬the birth of Jesus,‭ ‬in terms of their own social location.‭ ‬They put meaning to the celebration of Jesus‭’ ‬birth in terms of their own personal convictions and cultural experiences.‭ ‬Thus,‭ ‬we find varied interpretations of Christmas in different contexts.‭ ‬This somehow affirms the faith that God comes to us in concrete situations we are in.‭

The meaning of Jesus‭’ ‬birth is found in his death‭; ‬the meaning of Jesus‭’ ‬death is found in his life.‭ ‬Jesus‭’ ‬birth has become significant and meaningful because of the way Jesus lived his life in the service of the people,‭ ‬especially the poor and oppressed,‭ ‬even to the point of death.‭ ‬And so,‭ ‬the best way to celebrate Christmas is to live the kind of life Jesus lived not only in this season of joy and merriment,‭ ‬but everyday of our life the whole year round.‭ ‬God bless.

‭ ‬Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year‭!