Melting Snow

Sunday Contemplations: Christ is Ever in the World

Jamál (Beauty ), 11 Qawl (Speech) 174 B.E. - Sunday, December 3, 2017

"Christ is ever in the world of existence. He has never disappeared out of it.... Rest assured that Christ is present. The Spiritual beauty we see around us today is from the breathings of Christ."

‘Abdu’l-Baha1

It is the first Sunday in December 2017, and as I contemplate the quote by 'Abdu'l-Baha, I wonder if anyone sees the spiritual beauty that is present in the world today. I, also, wonder if the general public understands the meaning of Christmas. I know enough of the history of the day to know that it has both Christian and non-Christian elements in its celebration. The elements in the Christmas celebration are not as important as the reason it is celebrated. Nor does it matter if Christmas was the exact day on which Christ was born, because the day of His birth is not as important as why he was born.

His Holiness Christ was one of God's greatest gifts to humanity. He was born to assist individual soul's to reflect the attributes of God. He was born to assist humanity in its spiritual development. When I contemplate the birth of Christ, I also think about His death on the cross. The reason is that these two events, while separated in time, are spiritually intertwined. When considering the reason for Christ's birth, you cannot help but consider His physical death on Golgotha. It was that physical death that imbued a new or fresh ability into humanity. When referring to the death of Christ, or the Son of Man as He was also know, Baha'u'llah says:

"Know thou that when the Son of Man yielded up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. Its evidences, as witnessed in all the peoples of the earth, are now manifest before thee. The deepest wisdom which the sages have uttered, the profoundest learning which any mind hath unfolded, the arts which the ablest hands have produced, the influence exerted by the most potent of rulers, are but manifestations of the quickening power released by His transcendent, His all-pervasive, and resplendent Spirit."2

There are approximately twenty-two days until Christmas, in that time many people will be shopping and planning for the biggest gift giving holiday of the year. Numerous things will occur that has absolutely nothing to do with the birth of Christ, which is supposed to be the reason for Christmas. I realize that, like me, not everyone celebrates, so it does not offend me when someone wishes me a Merry Christmas or a Happy Holiday. I am just thankful that they noticed that I existed, and wanted me to have a good celebration no matter what winter holiday I may or may not celebrate.

Footnotes
1  (Notes of conversations; ‘Abdu’l-Baha in London’) quoted on Counsels and Explanations by 'Abdu'l-Baha -- daily readings on December 1, 2017.
2  Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, XXXVI: “Know thou that when the Son of Man…”