Christmas is the feast of being over having. He who had everything abandoned everything to help us be more. Thanks to the Incarnation we can be more human because we can be more like God, our Father and Creator. Ever since that time Christianity has emphasised that human dignity depends on the fact that it is created in the image and likeness of God and not on the possessions that a particular man or woman can or do have.
John Paul II’s first encyclical Redemptor Hominis echoed the Second Vatican Council’s insistence on the importance of “being” over “having.” The encyclical, in section No. 15, warned that modern progress demands “a proportional development of morals and ethics”, which he observed seems “unfortunately to be always left behind”.
The Pope asked if this progress really makes human life “more human” and more “worthy”. In some areas it does, he replied. But he questioned whether, in the most essential facets of human life, we are becoming truly better, more mature spiritually, more aware of the dignity of our humanity, more responsible, and more open to others, especially the those who are most in need.
John Paul II also asked if, amid material progress, there is a growth of social love, of respect for the rights of others – or if there is an increase in selfishness. This materialism, he warned, can lead us to becoming slaves of our own products.
“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also,” warns Jesus in Matthew 6:21.
This is a very important question that we should ask ourselves while we wait for the celebration of the coming of the Messiah. But are we really waiting for him?
Pope Benedict a couple of years ago whether today’s world is waiting for the Messiah. In the busy commercial preparation for Christmas, he said, “It appears that many people consider God as foreign to their interests.”
The secular world promises happiness in many ways, the Pope observed. Even believers “sometimes seek tempting but illusory shortcuts to happiness.” But lasting joy can come only through union with Christ. The Pope went on to say that “the history of the last 50 years provides an example of this search for a ‘low-cost’ Saviour and highlights all the consequent disillusionment”. Pope Benedict encouraged the faithful to maintain their focus on the supernatural joy of the Incarnation, and make the final days of Advent “full of spiritual wonder.” He reminded his audience not to be distracted by the material aspects of Christmas.
The Pope concluded: “We Christians, through our witness against those who offer a ‘cheap salvation,’ defend the truth of Christmas, which Christ brings to every person of good will.”