鈥淚 gave a beggar my merienda,鈥� Gerard said.
鈥淭hat will be rewarded with be one step forward for your sheep,
Gerard,鈥� teacher Larry helped him move his little sheep figurine closer to the manger.
鈥淣ow, boys鈥�,鈥� he reminded them. 鈥淩emember what I told you in our last class? Every good deed is one step for your sheep.鈥�
鈥溾€�.if we forget a good deed, teacher Larry?鈥� Stephen clarified.
鈥淲hat did I say last time, Steph?鈥�
鈥淥ne step backward, teacher Larry,鈥� the boy replied snappily.
鈥淐辞谤谤别肠迟!鈥�
鈥淏ut what if we forget to do anything good for Advent?鈥� Clarvin asked in a melancholic tone.
鈥淭hat means your sheep would stay in the far end of the stage, Clarvin,鈥� he replied.
鈥淪o try to do something good for Jesus, every day!鈥�
鈥淵es!!!鈥� the boys answered in unison.
* * *
The next day teacher Larry passed by the Manger and was shocked to see that someone had crammed and piled all the sheep figurines inside the manger. He immediately brought his class to the scene of the 鈥榥ativity crime.鈥�
鈥淲ho moved all the sheep into the manger?鈥� he asked his pupils.
No one answered鈥�
鈥淒o you realize that this makes it impossible to remember the exact place where your sheep were?鈥�
Again silence鈥�
鈥淐an anyone pleeease tell me who and why he did this?鈥�
One of the boys raised his hand.
鈥淵es, Philip? Would you tell me whose idea this was to put all the sheep in the manger?鈥�
鈥淛esus鈥�!鈥� the boy mischievously answered.
鈥淎ll right,鈥� teacher Larry tried to control his temper. 鈥淎re you telling me that Jesus wanted to mix up all the sheep and just forget all your hard-earned Advent sacrifices and good deeds?鈥�
鈥淲ell鈥� maybe because Jesus wants to save all His sheep?鈥� Philip said.
* * *
As Christmas draws nearer may this childlike story remind us not to miss the more important message of the season: opening our hearts to Christ. We must realize that we must allow the grace of this season to transform us interiorly rather than just 鈥榙ecorate鈥� ourselves externally with something superficial.
God is really serious about saving us! The manger is not only some tender representation of Jesus鈥� love for mankind. It is a demanding mystery that compels us to ask ourselves how we are seconding this initiative of our Lord鈥檚 love for us. Thus, He counts on our free response: our wanting to be saved and putting sincere efforts in the means to be saved.
Pope Francis recounts an experience of his that teaches us how we must strive to live this season鈥檚 lesson and regain our true identity as God鈥檚 children. The Pope narrates:
鈥淭his is the night of surprises. The night before last, something happened that moved me. At the Obelisk there were children, organized by the Archdiocese, making up a living cr猫che scene, and here on the other corner of the Obelisk was a Santa Claus who was greeting people and accepting letters. At one point he crossed over and said to the person directing the living cr猫che: 鈥楲et me sit here: I want to feel the Christmas spirit.鈥� He sat down, removed his mask and accepted reality. Don鈥檛 let yourself be hidden by pride, nor vanity, nor by shouting or domineering. That will get you nowhere. Lower yourself, take a gamble on meekness, take a gamble on goodness. Look through the foliage of life, and there you will find what no one else understands, a child lying in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. There you will find Jesus every day. (Homily for Christmas Eve, 24-XII-2010)鈥�
Let us therefore be eager to go with haste, like the shepherds,聽 towards the manger-heart of Christ. And if we learn to be humble, then we will remove the mask of our attachment to worldly things, we shall strip ourselves of our fragile man-made virtual images, we will courageously step on our pride and open ourselves to forgive and forget, etc.
Only through this personal conversion will Christmas acquire its true and genuine meaning. It will be our transformation as living gifts humbly offered within the manger-hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.