Christmas … a revolution that changed the world

December 13, 2024

Every Christmas, people around the world take a break from their ordinary lives to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. Santa Claus, who derives from the legend of St Nicholas, is a popular Western symbol of Christmas, but there are hundreds of different rituals that cultures around the world practice to mark this special day.

In Columbia, people light up their homes and streets with millions of white candles in patterned paper lanterns. In Ethiopia, people dress in white and wear the traditional netela – a thin, white cotton scarf with brightly coloured stripes across the ends. This clothing makes those wearing it look very kingly, and it is a nod to the three wise men who many believe came from Ethiopia.

Christmas is a celebration that unites countries and cultures, but at the same time shines a spotlight on the beauty and diversity of humankind. Christmas was and continues to be a revolution. Christmas breaks down boundaries between cultures as we celebrate, in our own unique ways, the moment that God became one of us.

Christmas is a revolution because it broke down boundaries between earth and heaven, between God and humanity. God entered into His creation so that we would not simply exist alongside of him but become one with him.

CatholicCare Executive Director Tim Curran says that the central message of Christmas is the message the angel proclaimed to the trembling shepherds in the field: “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.”

“This is the moment God directly, profoundly and irrevocably entered human history to fulfil myriad prophecies in the Old Testament,” says Tim.

“On this day, the Son of God left heaven to come to earth in the form of a child – a child who was fully God and fully Human. To live a perfect life. To be baptised with the Holy Spirit and demonstrate the goodness and power of God. To die a cruel and undeserved death so that our sins could be forgiven and we could be reconciled to God. To rise from the dead and give us a hope of eternal life. And to ascend back to heaven having promised to return to earth again to build a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness will be the norm.”

The true Christmas message is every bit as significant in 2024 as it was on the day Jesus Christ was born. “Each of us requires reconciliation and restoration to God through Christ’s sacrifice,” says Tim. “Our war-torn world needs The Prince of Peace. And our over-exploited and polluted world needs its creator to redeem and recreate it.”

How will you welcome the Prince of Peace into your heart this Christmas?