Christmas is here!
Nowadays, it is seen largely as a consumption holiday, whether it is consuming turkey with all the trimmings or shopping for presents. However, for Christians the world over, it is celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. The essence of Christianity is following the teachings of Christ
I am constantly surprised by how many people in the West do not know what those teachings are.
Christmas provides an opportunity to remind people of some of these:
Jesus on virtuous behaviour – “Sermon on the Mount/ The Beatitudes”:
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- Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
- Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
- Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
- Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
- Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
- Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
- Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Gospel of St. Matthew (5:3-10).
St. Matthew, about 1610-1614 by El Greco; Public domain / Image provided by Indianapolis Museum of Art
Jesus on crime and punishment – “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her”.
According to the Gospel of John, the Pharisees, in an attempt to discredit Jesus, brought a woman charged with adultery before him. Then they reminded Jesus that adultery was punishable by stoning under Mosaic law and challenged him to judge the woman so that they might then accuse him of disobeying the law. Jesus thought for a moment and then replied, “He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her.” The people crowded around him were so touched by their own consciences that they departed. When Jesus found himself alone with the woman, he asked her who were her accusers. She replied, “No man, lord.” Jesus then said, “Neither do I condemn you: go and sin no more.”
Gospel of St. John 8:7
St. John By Jean Bourdichon – Bibliothèque nationale de France, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24525948
Jesus on race – The parable of the good Samaritan:
Samaritans and Jews despised each other. In response to the question from a lawyer, “And who is my neighbour?”. Jesus replied:
“A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead. A Jewish priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight. He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him. The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, ‘Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.”
“Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
The lawyer answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
St. Luke By Jean Bourdichon – Bibliothèque nationale de France, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24526625
Gospel of St. Luke 10:25–37
Jesus on how to treat others – “Love God, and your neighbor as yourself”
When asked “which is the first of al the commandments, Jesus answered: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
Mark the Evangelist, miniature from the Grandes Heures of Anne of Brittany, Queen consort of France (1477-1514).
Gospel of St. Mark 12:30-31
Jesus on enemies – Love your enemies
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you…
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Gospel of St. Matthew, 5:44
Jesus on forgiveness – Forgive “not seven times but seventy-seven times”
Peter approaching, asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
Gospel of St. Matthew 18:22
Jesus on wealth – ‘It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven”.
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
Gospel of St. Matthew 19:24
Please note, I have taken some liberties with the text, taking text from various translations of the bible, but predominantly from “The Catholic Bible on-line”.