Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7, Psalm 96:1-13, Titus 2:11-14 and Luke 2:1-14
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” (Isaiah 9:2)
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, welcome to this holy night. Some of us are here tonight, but our minds are heavy. In this year alone, news media reported over 3,500 Nigerians killed and more than 3,000 kidnapped. Many of them were travelling like Mary and Joseph once travelled to Bethlehem. Some of us came here tonight with empty pockets and hungry stomachs. Some of us are angry. You have heard about new tax laws; the government is proposing to take more from people who already have nothing. We are tired; tired of suffering, tired of promises, tired of hoping.
1. The People Walking in Darkness Have Seen A Great Light
Our first reading tonight comes from the Prophet Isaiah, chapter 9. When Isaiah wrote these words, he was writing to a nation in crisis. Israel had been invaded. The Assyrian army had swept through the land like locusts. The economy was destroyed. The leaders had failed. The people had lost hope. Does this sound familiar? Isaiah was writing to Nigerians. He was prophesying to us, people who know what it means to walk in darkness.
What is this darkness? It is the darkness of an economy where Nigerians are kidnapped from their homes and murdered, where parents cannot send their children to school without fear, where the government praises its military for “rescuing” kidnapped victims from terrorists, yet not one terrorist is arrested. It is the darkness of corruption. Nigeria is ranked 145th out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index. Nigeria is in a darkness where our leaders live like kings while the people live like beggars, where the commonwealth becomes the private pocket of the few.
Nevertheless, hear the Prophet, my people! Isaiah did not say, “The people walking in darkness will one day see a light.” No! He said, “The people walking in darkness HAVE SEEN a great light.” The verb is in the past tense. The light has come. That light has a face. That light is lying in a manger in Bethlehem.
St. John, in the opening of his Gospel, tells us: “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5). Listen to that! The darkness has not overcome it. Nigeria’s darkness has not overcome the light of Christ. The corruption has not won. The poverty has not won. The insecurity has not won. The wickedness of men has not won. The light is still shining!
2. “No Room in The Inn” - Christ Identifies with Suffering Nigerians
In today’s Gospel passage, we read: “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7) No room. Think about that. The Creator of the universe came to His own creation, and there was no room for Him. The King of Kings arrived, and He was treated like a nobody. When there was no room in the inn, there was room in the manger. When human systems said no, God made a way.
Mary and Joseph were displaced persons. They had travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, about 150 kilometres, because Caesar Augustus had ordered a census for tax purposes. Does this not sound familiar? A government far away making decrees that affect the common man. A policy created in comfort, carried out in suffering. Caesar Augustus was in Rome, eating well and sleeping well. Mary was in Bethlehem, going into labour with no place to lay her head.
The powerful make policies. The poor feel the pain. But here is the Good News, the Christmas message: God chose the poor. He could have been born in a palace. He could have been born to a senator’s wife, a governor’s daughter, or a president’s family. No. He chose a young girl from a small village. He chose a carpenter’s home. St. John Chrysostom said: “He was placed in a manger so that you, who had become as cattle by sin, might be fed from that manger and recover your true human dignity.” Tonight, if you feel like Nigeria has no room for you, know this: You have room in the heart of God. The God who became a baby in a manger has not forgotten you. He was born in your situation. He knows your condition. He understands your struggle. And He has come to be with you.
3. “Fear Not!”- The Angel’s Message to Anxious Nigerians
Luke continues: “And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.’” (Luke 2:8-10). The shepherds were terrified. The Greek word Luke uses is phobos megas, “mega fear”. They were not just nervous; they were shaking. And the first thing the angel said was: “Fear not.”
Why did the angel start there? Because God knows what we carry. God knows the fear that keeps us awake at night. God knows the anxiety that follows us even to church. What are you afraid of? Are you scared of the new tax laws? Fearful that a government that cannot provide security, electricity, or roads will still find a way to collect more taxes? Are you afraid of travelling on our streets? Even travelling home for the holidays requires courage and prayer. Are you fearful of the economy? Are you scared for your children? Are you afraid that tomorrow will be worse than today?
My brothers and sisters, I will not lie to you. The statistics are real. The suffering is real. But here is what I want you to understand: The angel did not say, “Fear not, because I have removed all your problems.” The shepherds still had to go back to their sheep. The Roman occupation did not end that night. Caesar Augustus was still on his throne. Herod was still a murderer. Poverty was still real. But something fundamental had changed. God had entered the situation. The angel’s message was not, “Your circumstances have changed.” The angel’s message was, “God has come into your circumstances.”
This is the truth: Christmas does not always change what you are going through, but it changes who is going through it with you. Emmanuel means “God with us.” You are not alone in your suffering. You are not abandoned in your struggle. The God of the universe is with you. He is walking with you. He is carrying you. St. Teresa of Ávila, that great Spanish mystic, once wrote: “Let nothing disturb you. Let nothing frighten you. All things pass away. God never changes. Patience obtains all things. Whoever has God lacks nothing. God alone suffices.”
4. “The Grace of God Has Appeared” - A Challenge to Nigerian Christians
In today’s Second Reading, St. Paul writes to Titus: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age.” (Titus 2:11-12). Did you hear that? The grace of God has appeared, TRAINING US to renounce ungodliness and to live upright lives. Now I must ask some hard questions. How is it that Nigeria, one of the most religious countries in the world, is also one of the most corrupt?
Pew Research Centre reports that 98% of Nigerians say they believe in God. Our churches are full every Sunday. We have the largest church auditorium in the world right here in Nigeria. And yet, Transparency International ranks us among the most corrupt countries on earth. The World Bank says over 133 million Nigerians, more than 60% of our population, are multidimensionally poor. How is this possible in a nation with so many Christians? How is it that those who claim to be born again are the same ones who steal public funds and lie without shame? How is it that Christians have been in government at every level, as Presidents, Governors, Ministers, Local Government Chairmen, and yet corruption has only increased?
My brothers and sisters, something is wrong. We have received grace, but we have not allowed grace to train us. We have accepted Christ as Saviour, but we have not submitted to Him as Lord. Before we point fingers at Abuja, let us look in the mirror. Before we curse the darkness of our government, let us ask: Is my own life a light? Before we condemn the corruption out there, let us examine the corruption in here, in our own hearts, our own businesses, our own dealings.
If every Nigerian Christian truly lived out the values of the baby in the manger, humility, love, justice, and sacrifice, Nigeria would be transformed, not by laws from above, but by lives changed from within. Christmas is a call to repentance. It is a call to let the Christ who is born tonight to be born again in us, to live in us, to rule in us, to change us. St. Paul’s words are clear: Grace trains us to renounce ungodliness. If our Christianity has not changed our behaviour, our integrity, our honesty, our treatment of others, then we have received the grace of God in vain.
In Conclusion. What Must We Do Now?
First, choose hope over despair. The news is bad every day. The economy is crushing. Yet, God is bigger than all our problems. Second, be the light you need. St. Catherine of Siena said: “Be whom God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.” Be the change; start with integrity. Third, rebuild the community. The shepherds went together to see the child. In times of hardship, we need each other. Check on your neighbour. Share what you have, however small. Fourth, pray, but also act. St. James said: “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17) Pray for peace, but also be a peacemaker in your own family and community.
Let us pray: Almighty, ever-living God, we are in darkness, come and save us. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (Christmas Mass at Midnight. Bible Study: Isaiah 9:2-7, Psalm 96:1-13, Titus 2:11-14 and Luke 2:1-14).
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu