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The Reason for this Season - a reflection by Br Bernard Gazire

In life we go through different ‘seasons’ beginning with birth and ending with death. I think the same can be said for Christmas! We go through ‘seasons’ of Christmas.

The ‘kid’ season comes with lots of excitement about Christmas. A new colourful dress, gifts of toys, toffees, biscuits; the delicious rice-balls with meat (a delicacy eaten once in a while) – the secular side it. Even when the family could not provide a decent meal, you would eat to your fill by going to the neighbours and cheerfully wishing them a Merry ‘Christ-mass”. All kids love a lot of presents, me included when I was one!

Then comes the teenage years where Christmas is still ‘all about me.’ But it begins to change slightly. Here you tend to list and remember each one who remembered you at Christmas. The concern for quality of the greetings and gifts you receive, rather than quantity may characterize this season.

Moving on, we go from the adolescent stage to adulthood. At this stage, we begin to focus more on giving to others than receiving gifts ourselves. It starts with the new friends and relationships we build and continues on as many more friends and acquaintances come into our life/ family. You still like gifts, but they are less important.

As we move into the middle adulthood years, gifts become increasingly less important. We still want to give to others, but that giving takes on an entirely new meaning. You could care less about gifts for yourself. All you want is to see the smiles on the faces of those less fortunate than yourself- the poor school children, the elderly in the villages, the unloved, those disadvantaged by systems of government and society. That is why in our little way from the community of Brothers here in Tafawa Balewa, Northern Nigeria, we hosted a group of over 45 poor children from the neighbourhood for a Christmas dinner on December 26th. I surely will be out with my camera to catch the smiling faces of those who would find this a great opportunity to feel loved!

Finally there comes what I call the senior adult years, which I am not so lucky to experience yet. But I can tell from my ‘old lady’ from the village that at this stage one is simply content being with the people who love you more than anything.

Enjoy each stage or season. They all are special. What makes each season unique is that they all have the same reason for celebration — Jesus Christ.

He is indeed “my reason for this season” of Christmas.

Whatever season it may be for you, I wish you a blessed “Merry Christmas” and a New Year full of pleasant surprises!

- Br Bernard Gazire.

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