The Real Enemies of Christmas

By Okey Ikechukwu

The festoons are out there! All over the place, that is. There is a subtly frenzied atmosphere, despite the downturn on several fronts. The moving to and fro is subdued, but it is still there. The somewhat undefined excitement is more unreal than real. It is all largely subliminal, because the cash flow crisis is more real than the half-hearted attempts at a celebration.

Anon, traveling long distances for the celebrations is hamstrung by both paucity of funds and the level of insecurity in the land. We say nothing about the condition of our roads. Thus, it seems safe to say that the current state of the national economy, as well as the general air of concealed consternation everywhere, have become the enemies of this year’s Christmas, right? Wrong! 

Christmas commemorates the birth of One Who came to show us how to be real and true human beings, according to the Will of God. It is supposed to be a time to reflect on the Message of Salvation He brought to mankind; a time to weight our lives to see whether it measures up to His teachings. From such reflection, Christmas is supposed to nudge us towards rededication to Truth and inner rebirth.

Yes, Christmas is a Spiritual Festival that has since been overshadowed and drowned be commercialism and banal engagements. The excitement is there, alright, but it is an excitement that exhausts itself in an epidemic of social activities. Will this year’s Christmas be any different? Will it herald a clear banishment of the true enemies of Christmas? I think not. 

 It is not a question of whether bandits are on the roads or not.  It is not a question of anyone having, or not having, intimations of fun or the absence of both. It is not even the near-certainty that there may not be much to look forward to in the new year, after the festivities. None of these forebodings, and thoughts, thoughts are the real enemies of Christmas, no! 

Since this is the time to remind ourselves of the true meaning of Christmas and strive to live up to the Message of Jesus Christ, brought to us some 2000 years ago, let us raise a question that had been raised on this page before, namely: “Is it true that Christ came to this world to cleanse us of our spiritual defilement, so we could go to heaven?

Let us also follow a hypothetical John and his uncle in a dialogue revolving around how the teachings of Christ could help cleanse us of spiritual defilement. Here we go, with a re-enactment of that exchange. 

John: Uncle, I would like you to explain, once again, what you meant when you told me that the message of Jesus Christ was intended to save us from further spiritual defilement.

Uncle: Look at it like this: A human being who acts against the laws of God automatically deviates from what is good for him as a creature of God. It also means that such a human being is doing what would prevent him from going to heaven.

John: Oh, I see! But how about the issue of defilement? It is written in the 11th verse of the 15th chapter of the book of Matthew: “It is not what goeth into the mouth that defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the man…”

Uncle: Yes?

John: My question now is this: How can it be that it is only what comes out of a man that can cause defilement?” The statement contradicts common sense and I do not know what to make of it.

Uncle: If a human being is just the physical body, then whatever unclean, substance enters the body has defiled the complete human being. But ‘physical’ defilement is not the same thing as spiritual defilement. We cannot say that someone is sick because his clothes are unclean. We also cannot say that a driver is sick because his car, which is an instrument designed to carry him from one place to another, is not functioning properly.

John: Hmmm, this is all sounding a bit peculiar; I must say. But I think I can see the point. 

Uncle: Only spiritual defilement can be described as true defilement of the real human being.

John: So, to defile the body is not quite the same thing as to defile the man?

Uncle: No, it is not. Now, going back to the Mission of Christ, the priests, Sadducees and the Pharisees in Israel were more concerned about physical cleanliness than spiritual purity an uprightness.

John: Really?

Uncle: But of course. Think of the damage that disobedience to the commandments of Go can o to us spiritually. That is why Christ asked the the children of Israel to focus on what really mattered and be saved from spiritual death.

John: I still don’t quite get it.

Uncle: It is what we think, what we say and what we do that could bring us good or bad karma. They are like seeds we sow into creation, with each seed producing its kind and returning it to us.

John: Sorry, Uncle, could you explain the sowing and reaping part again. I want to know what this has to do with all we are trying to say about what defiles a man, please.

Uncle: If you annoy someone and he gives you a slap, you have sown and reaped something unpleasant.

John: Yes.

Uncle: If you drink a glass of poison, it will kill the cells of your body and the body will stop working, leading to physical death, right?

John: Yes.

Uncle: But since the body is only a covering for your spirit here on earth, the way a shirt is a covering for your physical body when you come out in the street, the death of the body is not the end of the real you.

John: Yes indeed, the destruction of a shirt does not mean that the person wearing it has been destroyed.

Uncle: Precisely! The thoughts, words and actions of a human being that can create bad karma for him are things that “proceed out of him.”

John: Oh, I can see that quite clearly now.

Uncle: Sin undermines the spirit, hangs on it like an external, inferior or inappropriate attachment that is not original to its true nature. This is the defilement I mean that Christ came to save us from.

John: But how do I ensure that I do not reap what the bad karma that someone else has sown? There are no policemen in these matters; and I don’t really understand how it works.

Uncle: Let me explain it with an example, if you don’t min?

John: But of course, sir!

Uncle: If you make a hole in the ground and put one grain of corn, one bean seed and one grain of rice into this single hole and water them, they will all sprout and grow according to their kinds, will they not?

John: Of course, they will!

Uncle: Think of the three different seeds sown into in the same hole. It is in the same way that various seeds take only what they need from the same soil that good and bad volitions develop and bring their fruits to the originators.

John: You are saying that spiritual defilement cannot occur unless a man’s heart sends out evil thoughts, words and actions that then draws bad currents to him?

Uncle: Yes, that should follow from what we have been saying so far. If you go to a restaurant and request for a plate of food and it is given to you, surely, we can say that you asked for the food you got, right?

John: Yes, that would be the right thing to say in such a situation!

Uncle: If what you ordered leads to your having a sour taste in your mouth, we can say that it was you who asked for what brought the sour taste into your mouth, am I correct?

John: Well yes, you are.

Uncle: Just as nothing in a hotel kitchen will come to your table and enter your mouth, except you ask for it, so will no radiation in Creation approach you without you first giving cause for it.

John: You are saying, sir, that it is just our actions and decisions, rather than our circumstances, that determine our spiritual welfare?

Uncle: That is correct. That is also why the celebration of Christmas should really be a festival of thanksgiving to the Almighty for sending One Who could show us the way to the right type of thoughts, words and actions.

John: But, Uncle, have you considered that poverty could drive people into doing all sorts of things? Surely hunger can make a man to steal or become an outright criminal! Can we not excuse such a person?

Uncle: It is not hunger that leads a man to steal, but an act of his will, a decision. It is not just the world around us that makes us to commit murder, but our rejection of the commandments of the Almighty and our decision to operate as renegades in Creation. It is not just desperation that pushes people to deeds of madness, but the condition of the core of their spiritual being.

John: That sounds rather harsh, sir! Surely some excuse can be found for many wrong things that people do.

Uncle: That excuse is usually invented by people who are dishonest with themselves. Following the teachings of Christ is a strong help and an antidote to spiritual defilement. That is what we should celebrate this Christmas season: commitment to that antidote to spiritual defilement and eternal damnation.

John: Hmmm, so you talking about a totally iferent approach an focus whenever we speak, or think of Christmas?

Uncle: Yes indeed, John.

John: I am most grateful for your explanations and your time, Uncle.

Uncle: You are most welcome, John.