We all know the endless song “The Twelve Days Christmas” which was actually written to commemorate the 12 days we celebrate Christmas from December 25th (Christmas) to January 6th (Epiphany) when the Magi came to visit the newborn Christ.

Christmas leads us to the time when we travel through Scriptures to the days when we begin to celebrate the eventual death of Christ (Lent, Holy Thursday, and Good Friday). The death of the child whose birth we celebrated at Christmas.

In the Gospel of Saint John (chapter 20) we read of the visit of Mary Magdalen to the grave of Jesus. This visit, along with the Christmas visits, has much to teach us about love, When we love someone, we do not abandon them when they die. We go to their grave to mourn. The angels at the empty tomb do not know why Mary is weeping, but we do! She, like us, wants to have the return of a loved one. But we know that is impossible! She, at least, wants to be near the body again. So do we!

But with Mary’s visit the body is not there! Mary assumes the gardener knows what happened to the body she came to mourn. So she asks where he was taken. Mary is called by name, she knows the voice of Jesus! He is alive! Mary is the first witness to the resurrection! Isn’t that what Christmas was all about? To know, believe, and to witness to the eventual resurrection of our loved ones and even us! To believe that the incarnation of Christ was to give us new life?

Jesus tells Mary to report to the disciples what she has seen. We, too, are to tell of what we know. Christmas is the Easter story! Christmas never ends, it is the joy filled message of the resurrection of our loved ones and of us. Love is what brings us to the grave, love is what gives us the ability to bring hope to a love starved world. The love of God gives us resurrection.

MERRY CHRISTMAS