Cultures influenced by Christianity, in general, celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas. But it is easy to miss, even being raised in one of these cultures, that it is not just a birthday party. There is more to consider when thinking about God becoming human.

The first question that comes to me is: Why?

Why does an almighty and all-powerful being want to become such a fragile one?

Factories of Enemies.

We are very used to a society that likes to think in terms of them-versus-us. We have experience in identifying enemies, even when they don’t exist.

I believe that the root of this practice is our greed. I mean, the obsession with what is not present: objects, money, virtues, knowledge, people, etc.

This year, we have been watching many groups fighting. People obsessed by our differences are fighting while interpreting these differences as a message that says: You are not allowed to be you; you are not allowed to exist. Sent with or without intention, this message is frequently the birth of an enemy.

Here we are then, offended by the presence of the other, blinded by this feeling. So we start to run after the wind, fighting and trying to destroy everything that reminds us of that offense.

My hypothesis is that we humans have been committing this mistake over and over for centuries, even when thinking about God. I believe that humanity declared itself an enemy of God by acting in this belligerent way. We rebelled against Him when we decided to act moved by our greed instead of by a restful and faithful heart, when we decided to pursue happiness instead of overflow it.

Take a walk in Someone Else’s Shoes — a big one.

Back to the holiday, Christmas is the celebration of the miracle of God transcending the boundaries of empathy, not just trying to understand us, but actually becoming one of us and showing in a practical way what Love is.

What God did after we declare war against Him is the meaning of Christmas. When Jesus became human, he showed that Love requires feeling the pain and the suffering of the enemy without becoming greedy like the enemy. And this Love is what makes the friendship possible again.

So, Christmas is the celebration of the fact that it is possible to love, even the ones who have been consistently against us, because someone showed us how to do that by giving up everything and loving us when we still were rebels and enemies of the good.

This meaning amazes me, but to be born was just the beginning of the is the story. Christ not only came to Earth to show this Love, but He also died in favor of the ones He loved, but I won’t talk about that right now. I may write something on another holiday.