LIGHT THE WORLD: OUR LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE FOR THE POOR AND NEEDY

By: Norberto Betita

The whole year through we had been giving so much for our self and for our loved ones. Perhaps at this blessed season of the year when we celebrate the birth of the infinite giver of all, we need to open our hearts and from the warmth inside its deepest chamber, we give out our love to those whom we care less during the entire time of the year and in our abundance or even in our own deprivations give meaningful gifts to those who are more in need.

During this festive season, with so many in distress, maybe we need to temporarily reduce our budgetary plans for personal gifts and parties; trim down on expensive flickering lights and luxurious decorations on our Christmas trees; and shorten our list and modify our arrangements for sumptuous ‘carte du jour’ on Christmas eve. After all, as Elder Jeffrey R. Holland puts it, "First and forever there was just a little family, without toys or trees or tinsel. With a baby—that’s how Christmas began."

Let us instead uncover the avenue for greater joy by finding those who are in the depths of despair; those who are suffering and in pain; those who are deprived of the necessities of life; those who had been feeling hopeless and depressed; and those whom the Lord would have loved so much to invite and visit if He should have been here on the grand celebration of His birth. Those who are in such complicated temporal conditions were the Lord’s subject in His parable of the sheep and the goats, where He pointed out clearly and unmistakably those whom we are to give of our love and concern and our service. He taught:

“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

“And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

“And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

“Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

“Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

“When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

“Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

“For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

“I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

“Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

“Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

“And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal. (Matthew 25:31-46.)

To be assured of an eternal inheritance in God’s Kingdom is so much more to cherish and treasure than the possibility of a consequent painful eternal penalty for failing to care for the least of our brethren as the Lord so plainly admonished. In the parable He obviously gives us the choice whether to do or not to do in so far as caring for the poor and the needy is concerned, but warned us in advance the sure eternal consequences of our choices.

In the world where selfishness is becoming a more common characteristic amongst many of the men and women, it is so delightful and pleasing to note that there are still people who are distinctively generous and benevolent of others as to radiate the pure love of Christ in their lives. These people are particularly well acquainted with the Lord’s commandment, “…Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matthew 22:39).

Each Christmas time, we do not have any display of expensive large Christmas tree in our home as there are in many homes and malls. We only have a small tree that we can afford. On this 2018 Christmas season, I decided to create a live Christmas tree from my bonsai plants and adorned it with old Christmas decorations and lights. While so many people are busy for their Christmas purchases, we bought groceries not for our Christmas feast, but for some chosen poverty stricken families which we intend to help see and feel the true spirit and real meaning of Christmas.

No longer did we bedeck the base of the tree with boxes of personal gifts, but several packs of food stuffs as gifts for our chosen beneficiaries. This is not only ours to give, but had been in a long time partnership of giving with a very generous benefactor of whom we had been the extended hands, and who herself has her own needs and serious concerns as much as we have. The gift may not have been wrapped in sophistication and elegance, but it is draped with Christlike love and ribboned with fondness and affection that springs halfway across the world.

We did not as yet buy stuffs for our Christmas Eve menu, but for an advance Christmas dinner for at least fifteen needy families at our humble home in time for the 81st birthday today, December 14th, of our most generous donor and partner. She doesn’t prepare a banquet on her birthday at her home, but she prefers to have it celebrated in a faraway place where we could invite those whom the Lord wanted us to invite, especially on this His most celebrated Christmas feast. The Lord, in His parable of the great supper, taught:

“…When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee.

“But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:

“And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:12-14).

Of course, we are not after the recompense, although we together felt that even in this life we had been receiving continued blessings of great joy and gladness as we gave of ourselves to those in need. This partnership of generous giving is our own expression of our great love for the Lord and Heavenly Father.

Our dear friend’s gifts are hard-earned. As a farmerette she raises cows, goats, chicken, pigs, and sheep, which she sells in time. She plants crops not only for herself, but for others in the neighborhood. She doesn’t employ people to care for her animals, but does all that are necessary by herself even at this time of her old age and failing health. She experienced being kicked and thrown aside and her legs stepped upon by unruly cows while caring for them. She sustains injuries while repairing their shelters during the winter season. Truly her gifts are the products of blood, sweat and tears, a reflection of the Lord’s marvelous divine gift of the Atonement---a great sacrifice of blood, sweat and tears---which commenced on that first Christmas morn when He condescend and thus be born in a stable and laid in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes for there was no room for him in the inn (see Luke 12:7); the winding scene being the cruel crucifixion on Calvary’s hill.

I am always in awe and wonder of our dearest friend’s unlimited capacity to love and be concerned for the temporal and spiritual welfare of a group of people, she doesn’t even know, not only on Christmas but on other periods during the year, whenever she felt a need to help. Her love spans no boundaries. Her caring and compassionate heart holds no bar. Indeed, she loves as Jesus loves.

In this exalted season of the year we light the world with our little Christmas tree for the poor and needy as our gift and tribute for the Savior of us all. Notwithstanding the limits imposed upon our old and weary souls by the realities of aging, we hire no one, but instead personally prepared the food that we laid on the table for those whom the Lord described as the least of the brethren. By such humble service, we felt greater joy and gladness as we witness our honored guests enjoying our modest meal offering and leaving with the unpretentious Christmas gift we have prepared, rejoicing and most humbly expressing sincere gratitude. I thought, how wonderful and happier we would have been as a people if each family will take time to invite a needy weary soul for a Christmas dinner and wrap a gift or two as a token of love that emanates from the ultimate gift giver, whose gift of light through His Atonement brightens the way to our eternal destinations.