Feeling blue this Christmas? Remember the real reason of the season | Opinion

I love this season of the year. I love the music and the Christmas pageants at churches that tell the ageless story of the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

I love that during this time of the year people seem to be a little more tolerant, a little more compassionate and kinder. I love it that strangers smile at each other in the grocery store as strains from “O Holy Night” echo down the aisles.

And I think to myself:

“Why is it only this time of the year that people seem to be more loving, more caring, more human? Why can’t we spread these feelings of good cheer and peace throughout the year? Better yet, why can’t we simply make tolerance, compassion and kindness a way of life?”

The answer to me is simply this: I believe most of the world celebrates Christmas for all the wrong reasons. Christmas isn’t about the gifts we go into debt to give to our loved ones. It isn’t about the house in your neighborhood with the brightest lights and the biggest plastic Santa Claus in the yard.

Christmas, the most important holiday on the calendar, is about Jesus. And it is about the hope and joy that His birth brought to this Earth.

Some people argue that Jesus wasn’t born on Dec. 25. It is true, we don’t know the exact day Jesus was born. But those of us who believe in Him know that He was born.

We know this because of the blessed gifts that He brought with Him live in our hearts. The gifts that He gave, and is still giving, are the gifts of salvation, joy, hope and peace. And they are ours to accept. Those gifts that Jesus brought to the world when He was born are the same gifts that can live within us today.

Personally, it is because of the deep settled peace that Jesus gave to me, the peace that surpasses all understanding, is why I am yet standing. It is because of the joy and hope Jesus gave to me that I have been able to face each day, each new challenge over the years with courage. And it is because of this joy and hope that I, as an American, living in tumultuous times, can have peace.

It is these blessed gifts, brought to earth on that first Christmas, that have kept our country afloat, even when we have a president who thinks it’s OK to call women derogatory names, who set free the criminals who staged an insurrection on our nation’s Capital, where innocent people were killed, and who thinks nothing of calling poor, mostly Black countries s---holes.

Then there are the men in black masks, who remind me of the white-hooded Ku Klux Klan, that are snatching people off the streets simply because they suspect they are illegal aliens. Many of them taken into custody are law-abiding American citizens.

So, while I love this time of the year, I find it a bit ironic that as we Americans – believers as well as non-believers - freely sing the beautiful carols and bask in the celebratory atmosphere of Christmas, the gift of peace is scarce. And for many people, there seems to be no hope at all. That’s because, right here in America, some people have been denied the peace, joy and hope that Jesus brought.

They include the migrant children who have been separated from their parents and are still locked away in some chain-link prison. And they include the homeless, who wander aimlessly through the streets, sleeping on the cold concrete sidewalks at night. And the vulnerable who live in fear that they won’t get the medical care they need, or that there will be enough food to feed their children.

It’s Christmastime. But it is also a time of suffering for many. Let us remember that the joy, the hope and the peace that Jesus brought is for everyone. It is what keeps us stable. Let’s use this season as a reason to share our gifts with someone who has lost theirs.

We are living in trying times. But the gifts that Jesus brought with Him, the gifts that if we accept them, will keep us all in perfect peace in times of turmoil.

So, my friends, remember it’s the joy that He gave us, and the hope and peace He has given to each of us, that keeps us going. As we celebrate Jesus’ birthday, keep in mind that Christmas is not about those who get the most stuff, or who has the brightest and most decorated house in the neighborhood.

The real reason for this season is about love and brother/sisterhood. It’s about caring and compassion. And kindness. When we focus on the gifts Jesus brought to the world, we will remember the real reason for this season.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Christmas concert

The community is invited to the annual Christmas Concert presented by The Miami Oratorio Society at 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, at Sierra Norwood Calvary Baptist Church, 495 NW 191st St.

The Miami Oratorio Society is a musical group that was founded by the late Victor Kelly more than 50 years ago to bring the classics to the inner city of Miami.

Under the direction of Dr. Eugene Greco, the Miami Oratorio Society and Ensemble will present the timeless Christmas portion of Georg Frideric Handel’s Messiah during the first half of the concert.

Part II of the concert will include contemporary Christmas music and the popular Christmas Carol sing-a-long.

Soloists will include Catherine Magarino, soprano; Icela Guernica, mezzo-soprano; Andres Lasaga, tenor, and Rohan Smith, bass. Joining the choir will be the students of Avant Garde Academy in Broward and members of the St. Thomas Episcopal Church Choir in Coral Gables.

Tickets are $35 each for adults and $15 for children ages 10 to 17. They will be available at the door.