Come Holy Spirit

The Christmas season is upon us, and for those who feel hopeless and helpless with a new shutdown and political strife, this season is a light that shines in the darkness. (John 1:5)  The Light of the world (John 9:5) is born, and in this we rejoice and sing “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.”

I love everything about Christmas! The Spirit of Christmas is one of joy and hope. Being at St. Joseph in Troy, with the heavy traffic on Big Beaver, Fr. Rudy, Fr. Fadie and I made it a point to put the Christmas lights up extra early this year. We are all desperate for some hope, and a small symbol like Christmas lights and a Christmas tree, decorated from the ground up, is just what we need to lift our spirits. If you don’t usually put up Christmas lights, it’s not too late! If not for you, then for others who need a sign that proclaims, “The Christmas season is here – let us rejoice and be glad”.

With that being said, even Christmas lights and a Christmas tree may not be enough for some who feel beaten and battered by 2020. For some, Christmas marks the end of a year to forget, but this is where we are mistaken. True joy and light do not come from outside, but from within; in our hearts and souls. This is where God dwells. For joy and peace are not manufactured feelings, but gifts of the Holy Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)

The true Christmas Spirit is not a commercialized spirit, but the Holy Spirit that brightens and warms our soul to the truth of the Gospel. For on Christmas Day, we proclaim that God loves mankind so much that He became man so that we may become like God. The Son of God calls us to be children, sons and daughters, of God (Romans 8:14-16).

The true Christmas Spirit draws us to faith in a newborn King whose kingdom is not of this world. A faith that is grounded in hope, serving as “an anchor for our soul” (Hebrews 6:19).

The true Christmas Spirit is one of hope. This “hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). Our hope is not that 2020 does not repeat itself, but that we have faith enough to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the one who saves and heals. As faithful, our hope is in Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we can’t predict what challenges life throws our way. But what Christmas reminds us is that “we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus Christ was born in a lowly manger, amidst poor shepherds and animals, rejected from the beginning because there was “no room in the inn” (Luke 2:7). Jesus knows our struggle and comes into this world to give us salvation; not from suffering, but from sin and death.

This Christmas season, let us remember that true peace and hope come from within, and are fruits of living the true Christmas Spirit. Come Holy Spirit of Christmas, fill our hearts with wonder at the truth that God is with us. Merry Christmas to you and your families!

Father John is a Chaldean priest at St. Joseph Chaldean Catholic Church in Troy, MI.