Florida Catholic | Archbishop Favalora's Column

Make Jesus the center of your lives

December 21, 2007

Our attention, too, must be focused away from ourselves and on Jesus, because Jesus is the way, Jesus is the truth and Jesus is our abundant life.

My dear friends,

In a few days, in churches across the world, Christians will celebrate the birth of Jesus. Thousands of children hand-in-hand with parents will go to visit the crib.

The warmth of the newborn babe surrounded by his parents and the cozy arrangement of animals still touches hearts of every age.

Some gaze at the figures and are transported again to Bethlehem, to that holy night when Christ was born. Others recall that brief time when peace reigned in the world and a new precious little life attracted such wonderment from townsfolk and shepherds and God’s holy angels. Still others long to experience the joyful, happy family life reflected in the faces of Jesus and Mary and Joseph.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could know what Mary and Joseph and Jesus are thinking as they look back at us from the crib today? Mary was so excited to receive the news of her pregnancy that she sang with joy about the child in her womb. What outrage she must feel about the millions of unborn children whose lives are ended in the womb by abortion 2,000 years later.

Joseph was protector, guardian and provider for the precious lives of Jesus and Mary. He must be horrified at the magnitude of today’s child abuse, spouse abuse and domestic violence.

What advice would the Holy Family give for the ills that invade today’s family life: drugs, greed, materialism, consumerism, divorce, self-centeredness and lack of religious practice? And how sad for the Holy Family to discover the horrors of war still raging in several corners of our world, a world that disregards and disrespects life so callously.

My dear friends, the bright star of Bethlehem still shines in this darkness as a sign of new hope. Unfortunately, its light has not yet been comprehended. But this Christmas, we have still another chance to follow the star of Bethlehem to the stable, where the world will find the abundant life that Jesus is and that Jesus gives.

The central focus of the Nativity scene is Jesus. Mary and Joseph contemplate Jesus, the shepherds come to greet Jesus, the animals bring their bodies to warm Jesus, wise kings present gifts to worship Jesus and even the angelic choirs sing the glorious praises of Jesus. Our attention, too, must be focused away from ourselves and on Jesus, because Jesus is the way, Jesus is the truth and Jesus is our abundant life.

This is the good news of that first Christmas and the good news for today. May the warmth of the Nativity scene spread to your families this Christmas, and may the peace heralded by the angels spread to our world today.

Merry Christmas, and may you and your families have a joyous and blessed New Year.

Make Jesus the center of your lives

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