A Christmas time-out

There are two times in the year when we take a full time-out, make a complete stop, and take a “break” from sports writing (with the permission of our sports editor of course). These are Christmas and the Holy Week. These past days have been a perfect occasion to take one of those time outs that also serve as a recharge, wake-up call, and a period for reflection. Yes, believe it or not, we in the sports world also need this kind of time-outs of a different kind. And just like the usual time outs in a game, we pick ourselves up, learn, and hope to become better persons.

Christmas has always been and will always be about the birth of Jesus Christ despite all the more visible signs of the season: the mad rush to the malls, parties, Christmas gifts and traffic jams. While there is nothing wrong per se with shopping, gifts and parties, we ought to remember that these aren’t the main tasks in this game plan called Christmas. We should all find time to take a time-out from all the rush and reflect on the birth of Christ. What does it mean to us? To us, who is that Baby in the manger? For this time-out, let’s join the Baby in the manger, and sit or stand beside the shepherds, the sheep, cows, and if you’re lucky, beside on of the three wise men. I wonder if we can get close to Mama Mary or St. Joseph. We might also catch the angels singing “Gloria in excelsis Deo,” and sing along with them too (basta dili lang yabag ha). Then we realize that we’re witnesses to the birth of the King of kings, our Savior Jesus Christ. Not bad, di ba? We’re talking about someone who was born in a manger because “there was no room in the inn.” And He is the same someone who was sent to us in this time-out to save us and get all of us back into this game called life. We realize now that this is a time-out that we can’t do without. Could you imagine what would happen to all of us if this time-out didn’t happen? I can’t even afford to think about it.But so what? What impact does this have on our lives?

A logical next step would be for us to welcome Him into our lives. Have we done that? Or are we one of those who said there was no room for the Babe in my “inn.” Are we one of those who gave the detour sign to find some place in a stable beside all those shepherds and their sheep and cows? Ironically, Jesus continues to knock on our doors and asks us to a welcome him into our lives. And he does this not only at Christmas time, but all the time. He knocks on our doors at our daily lives, wherever we find ourselves: at work, at school, at home, at practice, at games, wherever, all over. By welcoming him into our lives, He then becomes a key factor in everything that we do, say or even think about. All of our lives will now be centered on Him. True, human and sinners that we are, we commit faults and we do have our failures. We commit fouls and make costly turnovers, but there are just as many opportunities to say sorry, recover and get back into the game. Another more “human” way to look at the birth of Christ to which parents can relate is when their children are born. When a couple gets married and a child is born, a total paradigm shift takes place in terms of family priorities. Gone are the “selfish” desires for husband and wife. Everything is suddenly focused towards the newborn baby from birth until he grows up. All actions of the parents are “biased” towards the child: from food, clothes, shoes, friends, education and more. It’s a total giving up of one ’s self that parents exhibit.

We don’t have to look any farther than that Belen. And for this, we are grateful for this great opportunity and gift. Yes, it’s actually a gift. This is the biggest Christmas gift of all time. Forget those new pair of shoes, the new cellphone, bag or shirt. Jesus is God’s greatest gift that anyone can ever possess. And as we do with our own children, we can now focus all our actions on the Babe in the manger. If you’re thinking of an additional Christmas gift for this year, how about giving one to the Babe in the manger? In the spirit of “exchanging gifts,” how about a head-on trade or swap. Jesus came down as a gift to us. It would only be logical that we too, give ourselves in return. Fair enough, right? As we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family today, it’s a perfect time to offer our family back as a gift and offering as well. Isn’t Christmas also a perfect time out for the family to get together and recharge as a team?

May this Christmas be that time out that we use wisely to reflect on the real reason of the season and make that Baby in the manger the center of our lives.

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Time-out: Happy birthday to Bro. James Lee, S.J.