Shortly after the victory
of the Athenians over the Persians fleet at Salamis in 480 B.C., Themistocles,
the great admiral, was met on the street by a fellow citizen who hailed the
victory and called the hero the most powerful in the world.
“You are wrong,” said
Themistocles, “my little son here is the most powerful.”
Puzzled, the man asked,
“How so?”
“Well,” said the
admiral, “it’s like this: The Athenians rule the world, I rule the Athenians.
My wife rules me. And this little boy rules his mother.”
This story tells us how
the presence of a child makes a difference in the family. If a baby is expected
by his or her family to be born, the latter’s world revolves around the former.
The baby becomes the center of all attention inside the home. No matter how
strict or tough a mother or a father is, she or he experiences tenderness of
heart as she or he sees their baby grows and turn into a teenager. How many
couples get married just because the woman is pregnant? How many couples stay
together despite their irreconcilable differences just because of their
children? How many parents endure the hardship of their work for the sake of
their children’s future? Truly, we cannot deny that the presence of a child in
the family makes a difference in the life of so many couples. This is also what
our Gospel, Luke 1: 5-25, reminds us of: Many will rejoice at the birth of the
child named John. This means that the child John does not only influence his
family but also the whole community. The joy he brings is not only for his
parents but for all mankind. In behalf of his parents, Elizabeth rejoices
saying, “Thus the Lord has done to me in the days when he looked on me, to take
away my reproach among men.” In the community, he will turn many of the sons of
Israel to the Lord their God, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the
children, to prepare a people for the Lord. Though the child is yet to be born,
the joy of welcoming him is made manifest. The dream for his future is all set.
Above all these, the name John means God is gracious instill into our minds and
hearts that every child is a gift of God for all. Therefore, let people see
every baby in a mother’s womb as a cause for one’s joy and not as a burden.
Christmas is the season to find hope for every baby, for every child, whom God
gives each family. Each child in the family gives hope for the whole community
that someday he or she will contribute something for the good of the community.
Amen.
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