Christmas homily

                  
I share with you a part of my Christmas homily, which many parishioners liked very much:    The Greek philosophers are well-known for their wisdom. Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50 years and Aristotle for 40 years. Between them they were teaching for a cumulative 130 years. Jesus taught for only 3 years, but all that He taught is still being studied, analysed, researched and spread throughout the world, through lectures, sermons, homilies and written in hundreds of books which have been published so far in many languages. Jesus never painted any paintings but artists like Raffaello, Michelangelo and Leonardo and many other modern ones left us hundreds of masterpieces, all inspired by the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus never wrote any poems, but poets like Dante, Keats, Dun Karm and Oliver Friġġieri and others left us with many beautiful poems all inspired by the presence of Jesus. He never composed any music, neither did they have any musical instruments at his time, but Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Handel and many others left us with harmonious music, Masses, oratorios, hymns, all inspired by the presence of Jesus.

When in the year 353 AD Pope Julius 1 established December 25 as the date when Christmas will be celebrated, who would have thought that this festivity would make everyone stop and remember a young child who would revolutionize the world with His message of Love. When in the 4th century, St Hilary of Potiers wrote the first Christmas Carol “Jesus Refulsit Omnium” (Jesus Light of all nations), who would have thought of how many other carols, hymns and melodies would be written all over the world, and sung, recorded and played joyfully every year! When St Francis in 1223 created the first live presepio in Greccio, who would have thought that this would become one of the most treasured traditions all over the world. And when in 1441, the first Christmas Tree was set up in Talinn, Estonia, who would have thought as to how popular Christmas trees would become, symbolizing life and light as well as happiness as children see their gifts piled up under their tree. And when in 1843 John Horsley sent the first ever Christmas card by mail, who would have ever imagined that billions of Christmas cards would be exchanged around the globe every year, as a way of thinking of each other.  And when our own St George Preca introduced the Christmas eve procession in 1921 with baby Jesus, as well as the sermon delivered by children, who would have believed that they would have become annual, immortal traditions among us. And when the wave of generosity started in 2004 with l-Istrina on Boxing Day, 20 years ago, who would have imagined that from 1 and a half million Euros collected that day, now we’re reaching over 6 million in donations by generous Maltese and Gozitans to help needy cases.