Christmas - A Message of Hope and Peace, even for Newtown

Here I am, posting on the last day of the world, according to someone who misinterpreted the Mayan calendar.  I am confident that there will be many days of blogging and of life to come.

I was very tempted to write something political in relation to the shooting that occurred in Newtown, Connecticut last week.  I could have written something about the way the situation was handled, could have been handled, should be handled in the future.  I could have commented on gun control, mental health issue awareness, or a multitude of other related topics.  As I began typing, I have realized that this isn't what really needs to be discussed.

Why did this event make headlines all over the country?  Why are the events of a tragic day in a New England town slightly larger than Eagle Mountain showing up on the front page of my newspaper?  Precisely because they are tragic.  Because there are parents in this town who have lost children and are grieving their loss.  Because we have a glimpse into what they are feeling by imagining how we might feel had this happened to us and our children.  Because even though we are on the other side of the country, we feel obligated to help them in some way.

But what can we do?  We certainly cannot return their children to them.  We can, however, comfort them and bring them happiness this Christmas.  How?  Simply by focusing on the meaning of Christmas.

Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.  Why are the events of a silent night in a Middle Eastern town slightly larger than Tocquerville celebrated on an international level?  Because they were the beginning of an incredible mortal ministry of the Son of God, the beginning of another reteaching of the eternal truths of God.  Because His life would eventually lead to His death, and a Heavenly Father grieving over the suffering and death of His Son.  Because Christ gained a perfect vision and experienced everything everyone would ever feel.  Because even though it occurred on the other side of the world, His love helps and heals all men everywhere that allow it to.

Just as the wise men in the Bible, we must seek Him.  As we learn about Him, and as we learn His teachings, our hearts will be healed and made whole, and our struggling souls sustained.  We can learn of His marvelous plan, more marvelous than His birth, that we will one day be reunited with our families, and that we are entitled to live with them eternally, if we so desire.  We can learn that He has not left us alone, nor abandoned the world, but has sent messengers to communicate to us what He would have us do.

The true meaning of Christmas is not what we will receive, but what we will give in return to the One who gave the greatest gift of all.