The Story of Christmas

AGAPE means God’s love for Man. No one in his right sense will give his own Son to be slain by others. But God did. A father will die to protect his son. God gave His own Son to die for us. That’s AGAPE, the depth and intensity of God’s love for us. In total humility and sacrifice, God the Father, the all powerful Creator of all that is, gave His very own Son to be crucified on the cross to save us from our sin. This Theology of Salvation is the core of our Christian faith, the essence of Christmas. We adore you, oh Child of Bethlehem, for Your gift of salvation.

AGAPE – big sabihin – ang pagmamahal ng Diyos sa Tao. Walang amang ibibigay ang anak upang mapatay ng iba. Ngunit ginawa ng Diyos. Ang ama ibibigay ang sariling buhay upang iligtas ang anak. Pumayag ang Diyos Ama na mapatay ang Kanyang Anak para sa atin. Yan ang AGAPE, ang lalim at tindi ng pagmamahal ng Diyos sa atin. Sa pagkukumbaba at sakripisyo, ang Diyos Ama, ang makapangyarihang lumikha ng lahat, ay ibinigay ang sariling Anak upang tubusin ang ating mga kasalanan. Yan ang Teolohiya ng Kaligtasan na sentro ng ating pananampalataya bilang mga Kristyano, at ng Pasko. Sinasamba ka naming, a Sanggol ng Bethlehem, dahil sa Iyong pagbigay ng kaligtasan bilang regalo sa amin ngayong Pasko.

eastwind journals, December 12, 2022 (archives tr325)

By Bernie V. Lopez, eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com

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700 years before the birth of the Messiah, Isaiah predicted his birth, comparing it to the time in the Old Testament when the Assyrians fooled the Israelites into an alliance which would later end up in their subjugation and slavery. It was the era of darkness. God permitted the Chosen People to be conquered by the Babylonians (now Iraq) for abandoning him. But God, through Isaiah, promised the coming of the LIGHT which would conquer the darkness, hope in a time of despair. This is the essence of Christmas. We adore you oh Child of Bethlehem for Your gift of salvation.

THE PILGRIMAGE THAT OPENED MY EYES

As a young man, I had an adventure of a life time, hitchhiking through Europe and North Africa, covering 18,000 kilometers for three long years non-stop. It was not a dream that drove me to take wings but a nightmare. I hated New York, a spiritual desert, at least for me at that time. After a few months, I rested from my wild adventures and made a pilgrimage, walking 80 kilometers for 7 days from Lisbon to Fatima, asking Mama Mary to help me find myself, to guide me through the cruel world out there, as I did not know the ‘way’.

On the fourth day of my pilgrimage walk, there was a slight drizzle. I asked a farmer if I could sleep in his sheep’s shed. It had a certain sheep odor that was a bit offensive. Suddenly, the birth of Jesus flashed in my mind.

That drizzle was a blessing. It opened my eyes to a cosmic view of the Birth of Jesus, how the Lord, Creator of the Universe, of the countless stars within billions of galaxies, could be born in a manger meant for baby sheep. In that shed, on that strange silent night, I discovered the essence of Christmas. We adore you, oh Child of Bethlehem, for Your gift of salvation.

The drizzle was perhaps sent by the Lord to give the Light that I was asking for. I suddenly realized how it defied the imagination that the Creator of the vast Universe was humble enough to be born in a crib meant for new-born sheep. The hay of such a crib was itchy on the skin. The swaddling cloth helped, but still, the God, who made all of us, did not stay in a three-star inn but in a no-star sheep shed.

His power must be awesome and limitless to be able to do this, the omnipotent God, in total humility, born in a manger, at whose side powerful kings, simple shepherds, and winged angels knelt in adoration.

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At age 26, the author hitchhiked 25,000 kilometers in Europe and North Africa for three straight years. In this book of his wild adventures, Wings and Wanderlust – Discovering Your Inner Self (book cover below), he learned deep insights that changed him totally, which he wants to share with readers.

For Philippine residents, order a hard copy at eastwindreplyctr@gmail.com. It is a good Christmas or birthday gift. No need to shop. Just order online for you or your friends and it is sent in a few days to your/their doorsteps.

For people abroad, order the book through Amazon as 1) a hard copy (paperback), check guidelines at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09KS7QYWL, 2) a soft copy (e-book) – for IPADS, download the app kindle, for non-IPADS, buy a kindle device ).

MORE INSPIRATIONAL ARTICLES – eastwindjournals.com.

FOR THOSE WHO NEED HEALING, spiritual or physical (depression, anxiety, loneliness, terminal cancer, covid, diabetes, etc.) – say an online healing prayer with one or both healers below. Terminal patients have been healed in cyberspace –

1) Father Fernando Suarez – www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UP3LHBgtIc.

2) Sr. Raquel Reodica, RVM – www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAZcwNimBSg

Download free e-book ‘Healing Stories of Sr. Raquel’ at eastwindjournals.com/2021/08/13/healing-stories-of-sr-raquel-e-book-free-download/).

Author’s Credentials. Blogger – ex-Columnist (Inquirer) – Healing Ministry – ex-Professor (Ateneo University) – Documentary Producer-Director (freelance, ex-ABS-CBN, ex-TVS Tokyo) – ex-Broadcaster (Radio Veritas) – Facebook “Bernie V. Lopez Eastwind” / Pages “Eastwind Journeys and Journals” and “Mary Queen of Peace”.

amdg