Glory to God in the highest, and peace to those who have GOOD WILL on Earth! This song of the crowd of angels at Shepherds’ Field echoes like an announcement of heaven to the whole humanity today. The happenings narrated in the Bible as part of the Christmas Event were experiences of joy and peace to people of ‘Good Will’. Whereas for people with a ‘Bad Will’ Christmas Night turned out to be a terrible night.
People of Good Will are those who have optimistic attitude to Divine plans. Joseph, Mary, Shepherds and the Magi are the characters of the Christmas Event identified as people of Good Will. God’s goodness was manifested in their attitudes.
- Joseph’s Righteous Will: When Mary was found to be pregnant before they lived together Joseph had an option of bringing her to public disgrace or even worse, she could be sentenced to death by stoning as per the Jewish law. But his righteous good will prompted him to avoid any possibility of a public disgrace to Mary and he chose to protect Mary by divorcing her privately. His good will is further manifested in his decision to accept pregnant Mary as his legal wife when it was revealed to him that Mary’s pregnancy was through the work of Holy Spirit.
- Mary’s Obedient Will: Anunciation was an invitation from God to Mary to work with God. Mary could reject the invitation considering the big troubles expected by a pregnancy before marriage. But she had the good will to wholeheartedly and courageously obey the Divine plan.
- Shepherd’s Innocent Will: Shepherds had the good will to travel Bethlehem to see and worship the newborn baby.
- Seeking Will of Magi: The Magi had the good will to seek God traveling long way of hardships from the east to the manger in Bethlehem. People of Bad Will are people who have pessimistic attitude to Divine plans. King Herod and Inn Keepers are the characters of the Christmas Event identified as people of Bad Will.
- Herod’s Disturbed Mind: Gospel witnesses that Herod was disturbed at the knowledge from the Magi of the birth of a saviour. The very through of the birth of someone powerful than him fills his mind with deadly fear and thus he develops a kind of “disturbed psyche” that finally led him to brutal act killing the innocent infants.
- Inn Keepers’ Selfish Mind: Mary had to give birth to her child in most unsafe conditions as inn keepers never provided a room. If they had the good will to providea room in their Inn, that would have become the place of the birth of Messiah occupying a space in the salvation history.
Joseph, Mary, Shepherds and the Wise men looked at the birth of Jesus through optimistic eyes and so their minds were filled with joy and peace as the angels sang. Whereas Herod and Inn keepers looked at the birth of Jesus in a pessimistic way and so their minds were clouded by disturbances and insecurity feelings. Divine design of salvation project is not dictated by God in an arbitrary fashion. It is fulfilled only with human participation & cooperation. Salvific works of God are continued throughout the centuries with people who have good will in the salvation history. People of good will become part of not only Christmas story and but also salvation history. Blessed Christmas. Amen.
Fr. Jerry Joseph Vallomkunnel MCBS