The day that people have been waiting for is a good reason to celebrate. More that our individual birthday is the birth of our Savior who dwelt among us. He was sent by God the father to fulfill the promise to save mankind from sin. It has been over two centuries since the messianic mission that was foretold by the prophets in the Old Testament had been proclaimed, yet, many people are still do not believe that Jesus Christ has come. There are many people who are still looking for the coming of the Savior and more who had been proclaiming falsehoods. This is why there are many modern-day preachers who established their own religious sects not in line with the true Church that God has established in the institution of the Holy Eucharist.
It is therefore a great challenge for every person to know Jesus Christ through the Word of God, the Holy Bible that was compiled by the Roman Catholic Church. It is the Word that was made flesh and became man to live with mankind through our Lord Jesus Christ. Apart from the Holy Bible, there are other sources of faith, namely: Sacred tradition and the Church magisterium. Very clearly, Jesus Christ never told His disciples to write His teachings. In the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 16, Verse15, Jesus told His disciples to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation”. One must read or listen to audio versions of the Holy Bible in its entirety and not just selective piecemeal verses for one to know Jesus Christ.
One could easily be deceived by pretenders who claim to be preachers carrying Holy Bible that had been translated by sects that tailor-made according to their own personal interpretation. Such is prone to many errors that may lead the listeners to believe what the preacher tells. It requires apt knowledge not just of the bible verses but a good background of hermeneutics to one to understand the context of the bible as expressed by the writers at the time of its writing, considering the culture and social norms of the communities during those biblical times.
For many non-Catholic preachers for instance, they do not give respect to Mary the mother of our Savior as they claim that in the Gospel of John, Chapter 19, Verses 26-27, Jesus Christ while hanging on the cross shouted, “Woman behold thy son. Son, behold thy mother. They misinterpret the statement of Jesus Christ not even giving due respect to her mother as He simply addressed her “woman”. With a good background in hermeneutics, one would understand that during that time in history, the word woman is a high form of addressing a woman, mothers included.
It is therefore a misplaced interpretation for preachers who pretend to know the bible, to disrespect the mother of Jesus Christ. Even in our times, we need to respect the mother if we want to be in good terms with the son. How can one claim to be a good friend with the son if he disrespects or even blasphemes the mother. Can one have the courage to ask for any favor from the son if he does not respect the mother? It is a good question to ponder if we want to obtain God’s favor. In this year’s Christmas, may we all learn to honor Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ as we celebrate our Savior’s birth.
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