12/25/10 WHAT THE CHRISTMAS TREE MEANS TO ME !
Every year people put up a Christmas tree, mostly without thinking much of it ..and at the same time you read some naysayers talking about how the Christmas tree has pagan roots, and that there's "no Christmas tree in the Bible.." etc. ..so I started to think & think about what the tree symbolizes inside the church next to the nativity scene and it just struck me tonight at midnight mass on Christmas Eve 2010 .
The tree with all the lights and the star is a dead tree (the cross) coming back to life ! It symbolizes life over death and fruits of the Spirit, and not just about Jesus & the cross but about all of us who need new life in Christ in order to be a shining light & bear fruit ! The tree complements the cradle...its the light at the end of the tunnel, its life & light ! The Christmas tree is a great symbol of hope ! Its what comes AFTER the cross. In fact, it could be as meaningful as the cross itself if we look at it in the right way. Jesus had victory over the cross, a dead piece of wood on which his dead body hung (temporarily). The true glory comes in the resurrection and for me, that's what I see in the TREE !
Vander
