An Aramaic Perspective On Christmas

Are you tired of the hustle, bustle, and hassle that occur during our commercialized secular Christmas Holiday celebration? Understanding Christmas from an Aramaic viewpoint is the key to making Christmas an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Join me as I share my plans for making this Christmas Holiday celebration less secular and more spiritual.  The Aramaic language of Jesus, which was also the dominant language of the people at that time, gives insight into the importance of celebrating Christmas as a spiritual holiday. Let me familiarize you with a little history, some Aramaic words, and the customs of the people during the time of Jesus.

History tells us that the first Christmas was celebrated by the Roman church on December 25, around 336 BC. The word Christmas is a shortened form for “Christ’s Mass,” a celebration of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, born around 4BC. The name Jesus in Aramaic is “Eshoa," which means "Yahweh Saves," “Savior," or “Deliverer." During the time of Jesus, people had only one name, and they were referred to by the place they lived or their fathers' names.  The four gospels of the New Testament use the name Jesus of Nazareth, not Jesus Christ. "Christ" is a title, not a name. Therefore, when using the name "Jesus" and the title "Christ," we should refer to him as "Jesus the Christ."  The Aramaic word is “M’sheeha;” in English, we say “Messiah."   “Christ” is a Greek translation for the Aramaic word Messiah. In Aramaic, "Messiah" means “to be anointed,” “to oil," “to rub over," “to ordain," and to consecrate. Therefore, Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah-Christ, is one who is anointed, ordained, and appointed by the Divine Spirit we call God or “Alaha” in Aramaic.

Jesus of Nazareth had within him the Divine Messiah-Christ spirit.  The Christ Spirit in Jesus carried the message of God's Kingdom, which is goodwill toward all humankind. The man Jesus possessed spiritual awareness, a state of high consciousness, beyond ordinary human conscious awareness.   He had an anointed heart and soul filled with love, joy, forgiveness, and understanding.  He taught that this Christ spirit was not limited to him, but available to all who accept and believe in the message of God’s Kingdom. This Christmas holiday is the time to celebrate this Christ Spirit, the reason we should help bring "Joy to the world and Peace on Earth."

Let us show a greater respect for Christmas as a spiritual holiday.  Experience the Christ spirit as we reach out to others, including the less fortunate. Know that we have the potential the same as Jesus to express love and joy everywhere we go and with everyone.  When we do deeds that are through the Christ spirit, we manifest peace and goodwill to others. During this Christmas holiday season, let's focus on saying and doing acts of kindness that reflect the Christ spirit.

These are some ways we can make our Christmas more spiritual:

·      Show gratitude to the Divine for the Christ Spirit within, practice saying affirmations, meditating, and praying.

·      Plan a family activity, have members share verses, poems, scriptures, prayers, and spiritual messages.

·      Use your Christ spirit to forgive someone; this will manifest prosperity in your life.

·      Actively listen to someone without giving advice or passing judgment.

·      Find someone with a genuine need, the homeless, the hungry, the sick and shut-in, a neighbor, and do them a favor.

As we celebrate, let our Christ Spirit manifest as love, kindness, and compassion for others. Let us accept this as the true spirit of Christmas as we affirm, “this Christmas
celebration is a rewarding and enjoyable spiritual experience."