IV SUNDAY OF ADVENT
THE SAVIOR HAS BEEN BORN
By our Pastor, Fr. Carmelo Jiménez
We are at the fourth Sunday of Advent. Which means that Christmas is very close and it is time to reflect on who we are about to receive. We all say aloud that we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Savior. But the night of the birth and the day of Christmas, the most forgotten one is Jesus Christ.
When we get to these December dates my mind is brought back to something that happened in Acteal, Chiapas where I was a pastor. On December 22, 1997 (this year marks the 18th anniversary) the paramilitary came to a small chapel where brothers and sisters, and boys and girls were fasting and praying about the situation of oppression and injustice that the communities were suffering, and were asking for peace and an end to the violence that they were living.
The paramilitaries killed 45 people: 16 of them were children, 20 women and 9 men. Of the 20 women, 7 of them were pregnant. The paramilitaries used guns, machetes, knives and clubs to do this atrocity. Only 650 feet away on both sides there were Military Control posts and on the highway there were several state police patrols and they say they heard nothing. The bodies were taken to the morgue and brought back on December 24th, and the big question was: How to celebrate Christmas with happiness and joy? The 45 brothers and sisters were buried together and above their tomb there has been a chapel constructed and taking advantage of such turbulent ground, above the chapel there is another church, where year after year that barbarity is commemorated asking God for the resurrection of those brothers and sisters.
My reflection will be based on the Gospel that we read this Sunday, but also taking into consideration the context of the Gospel of Saint Luke. Among the many aspects we can find in these three hymns, I have chosen one that appears in all three hymns and I think it is the main one: That Jesus is – as his name indicates – the Savior. “He has raised up for us a mighty Savior…” says Zachariah. (Lk 1:69) “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior” sings Mary. (Lk1:46-47) And finally, the elder Simeon sings gratefully: “Lord, now you let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: my own eyes have seen the salvation.” (Lk 2:29-30) Is Jesus really the Savior as these hymns say? For 20 centuries of Christian history we have believed so.
On Christmas, Hispanics give a kiss to the baby Jesus as a sign of love and adoration. An American priest once, saw this symbol and made the following reflection: this is exactly what we do on Good Friday: we cannot understand baby Jesus if he is not united with the Cross and resurrection, which is the same as salvation. And we cannot understand the Cross and resurrection without the birth.
The best Christmas for those brothers and sisters of ours in Acteal was that one, because their hope bore fruit and they could contemplate the Savior. Amidst the pain these brothers and sisters celebrated the birth, not just of Christ, but also of their brothers and sisters, sons and daughters and elders who reached glory in the resurrection.
Our Christmas this year should be: renew our faith and hope in eternal salvation. Our best gift that we can give Jesus Christ should be to live mercy and charity. May each of us receive love and joy, because the child comes to save us. Amen.