Usually lost in the glitter of a highly commercialized Christmas celebration is the meaning of the mystery of Christmas. But there is really nothing mysterious about a loving God commissioning his Son to save humankind. The mystery is more of why a God would want to be born a human, live like any ordinary human, yet let Him be crucified by politico-religious leaders who could not believe that Godhead resides in a life of service to people in the edges of society.
My take on this is that God came to us on Christmas day to save us from our lack of humaneness towards others by modeling in his life on earth the ways of being truly and fully human. I am of the firm belief that what will save the world is not so much faith in the God Jesus as the imitation of his truly and fully human behavior when he was with us. Belief is static and leads to feel-good but empty rituals and devotions whereas imitation is active and leads to Christ-like (truly and fully human) actions that promote the welfare of fellow human beings.
How then do we step into the man Jesus’ worn-out sandals and act like human beings to one another? This is an existential question in light of the fact that millions of Filipinos are down in the dumps this Christmas and the coming year. These are the survivors of the devastating flood that selfish and corrupt political and business leaders have caused to happen. Only the humaneness of other Filipinos will bring sunshine on their otherwise dark Christmas.
Some congressmen, senators, DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) officials and contractors need to exit brute creation and rejoin the world of humans. If they have enough of a conscience left to do this (like former Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara), they must return the money they stole, find suitable relocation areas and allocate funds for the survivors to build livable and safe houses with. With or without the flood this is their job. After the flood it is atonement for the inhuman conditions they have imposed on these people.
Thriving businesses and individuals who can afford it could adopt a family or a community and help them with basic necessities and temporary living quarters. We cannot be enjoying traditional Christmas parties without sharing some of our blessings with brother-sister Filipinos who have no roof over their heads, no food to feed their families and are facing an extremely uncertain future.
All of us could help by joining the collective push for government action on the misfortune of flood victims. We have to push for a transparent and expedited investigation of cases. In light of the perfunctory no-foul-play conclusion on how former DPWH undersecretary Catalina Cabral fell to her death, it is most critical that we make sure the investigators and prosecutors are not corrupt.
Many people cannot have a joyful Christmas unless we act truly and fully human towards them. Thus, instead of a trite “Merry Christmas” let me instead wish and pray that we will be “truly and fully human” to one another this Christmas and always.