Between God's Love and Human Romanticism

Since early December, the city of Solo has been covered in colorful lights that delight the eyes at dusk and at night.

The romanticism of Christmas celebration has begun to appear. It is similar to the situation in many major cities of the world, including the city of Rome. In this annual rite, humans expect to greet God in prayer, praise and joy.

Romanticism and hope for God's love set the context because this year's Christmas is in a situation that looks gloomy. There have been wars and prolonged conflicts. There are earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Christmas is overshadowed by worrying news about the possibility of the worsening of the global economy due to the Russia-Ukraine war, global monetary tightening, and China's economic slowdown (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2022).

Indonesia is also predicted to experience a slowdown in its economic growth. Sluggish trade, layoffs, and the decline in people’s buying power could occur if it is not anticipated (Kompas, 5/12/2022).

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However, we believe Christmas is not just a rite of despair. Through Jesus, Christians believe that the darkness of the world is illuminated by God himself. God comes to visit His people. In human darkness and fear, Christmas radiates new hope amid the gloom of life.

The peace that is longed for, which seems unattainable, is not an empty dream. It is a promise of God that is prophesied and can be achieved even though it is not perfect. The celebration of Christmas revives the spark of hope for a peaceful and more humane life.

Hope for life changes do not happen instantly. The presence of God in Jesus who lives among humans is not to take over human responsibility. Human involvement is needed in creating the longed-for condition so that it can be realized gradually. God's action in Jesus is manifested through the involvement of human believers.

Respond with love

The wars and various conflicts are strong indications for Christians who celebrate Christmas to respond with love. God, whom Christians believe in, through Jesus, always designates "love" as the way of struggle.

That is why, in his letter to the Ukrainian people who are victims of war, Pope Francis lamented the failure to love. Looking at the victims of the war, Pope Francis said, “In each of them, the whole of humanity is defeated ” (Letter of Pope Francis, 24 November 2022).

Responding to the various situations above, from a spiritual perspective, this year's Christmas encourages churches in Indonesia to reflect on the story of the three wise men, who in the Bible story, visited the newborn Jesus. They wanted to worship Jesus as "King" and this aroused the panic and anxiety of King Herod as the local ruler.

Power politics motives prompted Herod to pretend to be a worshiper of the newborn King. Herod wanted to use the three wise men from the East so they could “finish" Jesus, the baby who was seen as his "enemy" and political opponent.

Herod's malign intentions could not be realized because God directed the three wise men from the East to return to their original place by another route without meeting Herod again. That is the theme of this year's National Christmas, "they return to their country by another way" (Matthew 2:12).

Spiritual message

There are several spiritual messages from the Bible story above. First, an invitation to pioneer new ways after the encounter with Jesus in the Christmas event.

Christmas is not just an emotional ceremony that leads to the gratification of superficial and hedonistic pleasures. It concerns the pioneering of new ways of self-sacrifice so that new hopes and new realities are born toward the common good of the citizens of the nation.

Jesus is not an excuse to splurge on empty romanticism. He became a call to follow Jesus' spiritual renewal through the "revolution of love" which led Him to death on the cross.

The second message is the need to stop the use of religion as a "vehicle" for various interests in the struggle for power or economic motives and personal gain, as was done by Herod. Religion should not be used as a means of violence for personal gain.

Christmas is not just an empty emotional rite. It reveals God's love as well as a call to humans to love to the point of sacrificing themselves for life together.

Political discourse and the escalation of social tensions ahead of the general election should be free from the instrumentalization of religion. All religions are called to carry out a "love revolution" because "hate is not the essence of religion."

Third, the "revolution of love", namely the self-sacrifice chosen by Jesus, needs to be continued as a way of building the common good. The way is to fight "indifference." There is a globalization of indifference that has caused the world to be in a slump (Pope Francis, 2015).

Enormous indifference is characterized by various forms of conflict based on a desire to seek one's own gain and neglect of others.

Christmas shows that God cares and calls people to care. There is a form of “self-emptying” which culminates in total love, agape. Its shape is the “cross”. The cross is a sign of God's highest concern, namely the love of Jesus on the cross.

Christmas brings an ethical-spiritual call for those who celebrate it to take part in God's concern for human suffering. It is not a celebration for personal pleasure, not a vehicle for political power, let alone mere hedonistic pleasure.

Christmas is not just an empty emotional rite. It reveals God's love as well as a call to humans to love to the point of sacrificing themselves for life together. Humanity’s dire situation is not to be lamented, but is an opportunity to manifest love. Merry Christmas.

Mgr Dr. Paulinus Yan Olla MSF, the Bishop of Tanjung Selor, North Kalimantan

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.