Emma Steil

Seasons of the Sacred

3/10/2020
Christmas Autobiography Reflection

The Paschal Mystery is God’s plan of salvation fulfilled through four events of Christ’s

life: his passion (suffering and crucifixion), death, Resurrection, and Ascension. It is presented in

the season of Christmas as a time of celebration of life, God’s greatness, and of the manifestation

of divinity. However, this is not a single event, rather an entire season of feasts, beginning

December 25th to the Sunday after the Epiphany in mid-January. It is not a celebration of “the

baby Jesus”, rather it brings us to recognize everything we do in life this year we will either

accept or reject. Christmas is an expression of sacramentality, mediation and communion as we

are taken deeper and deeper into commitment, understanding, faith, and hope in Jesus Christ. We

become aware of the ongoing work of God, the foundation of our hope that creates our lives and

lifts our hearts. Most importantly, it is the season of light. The light of Christmas is what ignites

the spark that leads us through the darkness of our own life’s, every day of the year. “It is meant

to enable us to see through the dark days of life to the stars beyond them”.

In my own experiences, my life has connected to the way the paschal mystery is

expressed in the season of Christmas. Going into my freshman year of high school, I lost four of

my best friends in a car accident. Like many others during a loss of someone or something close

to them I felt hopeless and confused. I questioned many things, “Why them?”, “How could this

happen to such great human beings”. I felt there was no escape from this sadness. However, little

things in life make them still feel present here today. Whenever I hear the song “Boys of Fall” on

the radio, tears come to my eyes as I can picture them playing baseball, laughing, and being the
goofy kids they were. As the years pass, it becomes easier in the sense of accepting the fact they

are no longer here, however, certain things like a song or a specific dinner, bring back these real

experiences with them. I have begun to realize in these moments that they were and always will

be here with me, through the past and the present. Through all of the pain, tears, and dark times, I

found the light of hope.

Just as in the reading of the Gospel according to Matthew, the star of Bethlehem serves as

an inspiration for the Magi to travel to Jerusalem where they meet King Herod and the birth of

baby Jesus. For they did not know what they were following would be a hope for humanity, a

new world, and become a season of the light. Losing someone special brings this experience of

light to my own life. During autobiographical preparation meeting, I realized Advent was

preparing for the moments and signs where God will make my friends present in a sense. The

Christmas season, or remembrance of all the lord has done and continues to do, is much like the

signs the Magi were given from Christ to follow the star, much like I am given these signs in

remembrance of my friends. Christmas is not just about the past, it is also about the present and

how we choose to experience this depends on us.