If we were to scroll past a news item today that says “A mother gave birth to a baby boy in a stable in a town called Bethlehem, because there were no rooms for them in the inns. Also, the child is believed to be the savior of the world, and the mother stayed a virgin,” how many seconds or minutes would we spend with this news before we continue scrolling? Will we even continue thinking about it?
As young adults in this era, many of our lives are bombarded with information, whether by our environment or our own habits. Social media fights for our attention, and our focus gets shorter and shorter; we don’t realize that it hinders us from living our lives in a deeper reality. When we get used to it, we might think, “Why should we go into the deep when the surface is fun, with a lot of distractions to keep us busy?”
We are also at the unique stage where we have more capacity of doing things in the world than our previous stage of schooling (some of us have started earning money and producing something for the wider society, some of us are studying further to pursue a certain track) and, at the same time, still in our early stage of shaping our life journey. We often wonder what to do with our resources and lives in general. We look forward to our “nexts”, we dream of our future. What about our present? Is it only meant for having fun in the moment or shaping our future?
The above topics and questions might seem irrelevant to each other, but I think the true story of Christmas ties them all together in the following way:
While planning our “nexts” is good, we need to learn more about how to appreciate the present. In Heaven, there is no “future”; it is all “present” in union with God. Heaven is supposedly the ultimate bliss and joy, so how do we learn to find more of that in our current “present”? We can only do so by going deep within. Beyond the surface fun, beyond the distractions, we look for union. Union with whom? With God, who is Love, the Great I AM who is existence itself, who does not need anything, yet out of love for His creations, decided to incarnate into a vulnerable baby among His creations, subject to hurts and mistreatments from His own little creations, all just to be with us in this life and in the eternal. This baby, whom we could have brushed past, is the ultimate answer to all our longings. If we do not go deep within, we risk missing out on the only One that we need, and no alternative can fill this void because we humans are designed to be united to this infinite Love. We are all created by, sustained by, and made for Love.
It might sound too theoretical, but practically, why is this important? Our own restless lives and the whole world will look different if we all walk around knowing deep inside that we are all already infinitely loved. Despite living in a broken world, disappointments and hurts would not bring as much darkness if we have a steady connection with the Love who heals us. Jealousy, selfishness, and insecurities will gradually lose their space when we truly know how precious we are in the eyes of the One who takes care of us. Wars will give way to more sharing and harmony. Our yoke will be easier, and world peace is no longer just a dream.
The historical story of Incarnation is one that is popularly told but is never trivial. Along with the whole salvation journey, it is the peak expression of our Creator’s longing to be with us. We might not be able to comprehend the fullness of it on this Earth, but it is still the most worthy track to pursue and around which to center our lives. The good news is, we are not alone. Mother Mary, who also did not fully understand the news of the Annunciation and yet said yes and guided Jesus in His upbringing, is also our mother who is ready to help us along our journey, together with Saint Joseph and all the saints. We already have a family helping us from our next destination.
This Advent, let us cultivate an intentional space to deepen our appreciation of the Incarnation, so that we can connect more with Christ and receive more of the graces that God wants to bestow on us. Saint John of the Cross once said, “Silence is God’s first language.” Let us choose to be still in the midst of noise.