Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me” (Matthew 4:8-9).
The feast of Epiphany went by and it was time to put away the crib and the Christmas decorations. I stood in front of the statue of baby Jesus – a beautiful infant who lay under the loving gaze of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St Joseph. An angel looked on from above. The heavenly ambience of the moment contrasted starkly with the cattle shed that was the birthplace of the Messiah- the thatched roof of hay, the animals and the shepherds. Was there a purpose for the humble circumstances that marked the birth of Christ the King?
Most of us look on those who are born great with immense respect. Young men and women from backgrounds of wealth and status are much sought after in the marriage market. It is true that blatant dowry demands have ebbed, but they have been replaced by a search for other hereditary wealth sources. A young man’s education and character sometimes loses its shine if it is not embellished with family property and income sources. Status symbols like luxury cars and palatial houses still hold sway in society. Hereditary wealth and status is widely sought after, inspite of the well known fact that children born and nurtured in the lap of luxury by doting and indulgent parents often grow into selfish and parasitic adults bleeding their rich parents try to satisfy their insatiable appetite for drugs, alcohol, gambling etc.
Another rat race is towards the goalpost of achieving greatness. Some work their way up the corporate ladder, others acquire educational degrees, still others come into wealth or high official positions. Until then the story is commendable as they enjoy the fruits of their hard work. Unfortunately many in this category also fall prey to the fatal attraction of material possessions and sometimes even adopt dishonest methods to acquire wealth. Newspaper reports tell us of scams involving thousands of crores. At a lesser level, we are quite immune to a corrupt system where bribery and exploitation are part of everyday life.
A common trap that young people get caught in, can be deciphered from the life story of Dr Ajay, a young surgeon, whose parents had spent their entire pension funds towards helping their son acquire an MD and then a DM. Well known in the medical professional circles, he joined a large multi speciality hospital and soon enough he was married to Tasha, the daughter of an affluent business man from the same town. Soon life started changing for the middle class doctor. Tasha ensured that they were members of the most exclusive clubs in town; holidays abroad were the order of the day; expenses on branded clothes, jewelry and other luxuries became priority on their spending list. Ajay was uncomfortable at first. He had been brought up as a grounded individual with good values. For a while he tried to resist the tide that threatened to sweep them away to an alien destination, but he gave in finally.
One often encounters the question that Tasha asked Ajay during their initial arguments— if you have been blest with wealth and prosperity, what is wrong with living a luxurious life? Is it sinful to spend the money you have, on an expensive lifestyle? Strictly speaking, the answer is in the negative. However, what many people don’t know is that these material luxuries acquire a life of their own once they gain entrance into your domain. They have the power to push you into debt traps, change your priorities and grab your entire attention and resources into a single minded pursuit of satisfying an ever increasing list of selfish desires. Once they succeed in placing you at the central point of your universe, they increase the space between you and all those whom you once considered near and dear. Whichever direction you look, you see and admire only one person-yourself.
Once a person has reached this point unchecked, there is very little hope for him. Like the proud Icarus, whose wax wings melted when he flew too near the sun, the downfall is as certain as it is fatal.
This could well be the lesson that the birth of Christ teaches us. The cattleshed, the winter’s cold, the animals and the shepherds: the nativity has a special meaning as it symbolizes the complete rejection of even the basic comfort and security of the world. Christ the King, the maker of Heaven and Earth, chose to be born, and to live a life unsullied by the instruments of worldly luxury.
