Ever since Pope Gregory XIII introduced a new calendar in the 16th century, people have been celebrating the first of January as the beginning of the New Year. In many ways, the transition from Dec. 31 to Jan. 1 is no more significant than any other night giving way to a new day.
Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506), a leading artist of the Northern Italian Renaissance, painted this highly-prized work of “The Adoration of the Magi.” In this painting, the artist contrasts the simple clothes worn by the Child Jesus, his mother Mary and Joseph with the exotic garments and precious jewels of the Magi. God chooses to meet us in the simplicity of ordinary life.
When Jesus is born, shepherds and wise men, the simple and the learned, the poor and the wealthy, are summoned to the manger. No one is excluded from love. At the manger, all who accept the Christ Child experience God’s mercy.
True contentment is not found in the palace of a king but in the manger that migrant parents borrowed for their newborn son. In Bethlehem, Jesus himself becomes “our daily bread” that fills us with joy. Welcoming him into our hearts and sharing him with others enriches us beyond the paltry pleasures of this passing world and brings peace and prosperity to our land. Christmas, not consumerism, is the answer to our deepest longings.