Christmas the whole year through

It can be Christmas the whole year through for those who are real followers of Christ and believe in his teachings.

- BERNARDO M. VILLEGAS

This can be discerned from my favorite Christmas carol which is “Joy to the World.” The words do not only convey the truth that a Christian can thoroughly enjoy his stay on earth if he is really a faithful follower of Christ, the very melody is so uplifting that one can really feel the joy of living. Other Christmas carols — also very inspiring (like “Silent Night” or “O Little Town of Bethlehem”) — are too somber and don’t make you jump for joy.

“Joy to the World” reminds us that since Jesus came to the world to save us from the only evil — which is sin — God has restored His original plan when He created our first parents to be happy in Paradise. That means that we should find our happiness first on Earth. No one can expect to go to Heaven if he or she does not have a joyful existence on Earth. It is a doctrinal error for some Christians to believe that we must go through hell (spending our time on Earth always in suffering and pain in a so-called valley of tears) in order to be able to win the eternal bliss in Heaven.

In fact, someone who is not happy on Earth cannot expect to go to Heaven.

The key here is to equate joy with love. God is Love itself. The way to God is Love in all its forms.