That child's dream
Christmas, and the Invisible made itself visible, the Word became flesh, the uncreated appeared in the created, the light shone in the darkness.
Given this, it is not without meaning on this day to have the lights, the colors, the presents, the greetings, the cribs, the trees in their finery, the songs, the music …
Nevertheless, Christmas cannot be reduced to this.
This unique Christian festival must make something flow out of our hearts — a conviction, a faith beyond doubt, a striking clarity: that if God came down from heaven for us, there is no doubt that he loves us.
And if someone loves us, if God himself loves us, everything on this earth is easier for us, everything makes more sense: behind the obscure passages of our existence we can perceive the loving hand of God.
The reasons may often be unknown to us, but they are reasons of love.
Everything can be borne more easily. And everything is more deeply pervaded by joy, if indeed joy is what already we experience.
Because beyond the precious moments in life, like the blossoming of a beautiful love, the birth of a child, a piece of unexpected good fortune, there is a Father’s providence.
Then everything becomes possible.
If you believe, if you believe in a God who loves us, every impossibility can be shattered, even the impossibility, at times so obvious, for our cradle, this planet that shelters us, to live in peace.
Yes, everything is possible.
In fact, if the all-powerful came among us, our faith can rise even further.
We can believe, if we hope and ask for it with all our heart, that our world will start to move toward unity: to union between generations, social classes, races, Christians divided for centuries, the faithful of different religions, between peoples.
Unity, an ideal of unity, is in the air in our times.
Many young people in the world believe in it with a passion typical of their age and work for this end with all their youthful vigor.
Let’s allow them to dream and to work.
That baby whose birth we are celebrating dreamt of nothing less.
He came on earth so that all could be one.
And he gave his life so that his dream could be fulfilled.
- Chiara Lubich
Taken from Lubich, Chiara, Christmas Joy, New City Press, 1998, pp. 23-24.
If you are interested to read more articles like this:
