the christmas tree and corpus christi

I don’t know what got into my mind yesterday, but today on the feast of the body and blood of Christ, the corpus Christi, I would like to reflect with you on the origin and meaning of the Christmas tree. So how is the feast of the Corpus Christi related to the Christmas tree? If you will be patient, I will get into that later. But first the origin of the Christmas Tree.
The Christmas Tree started in the 11th century when it became popular to stage what they called then the Paradise Play. The Paradise Play is a simple play wherein they dramatized on the 24th of December, the life of Adam and Eve. The 24th of December by the way was celebrated in some churches then as the feast of Adam and Eve. In this drama they would re-enact what happened to Adam and Eve, how they were created, how they lived happily and contentedly in paradise, how one day they were tempted, how they fell into sin, how they were punished, and how they were banished from paradise with God promising that he will send a Savior to restore them in time. The drama was simple. In fact they just placed one prop - a tree, a pine tree set in the middle of the stage. In the play the tree stands for the two trees in paradise as narrated in the bible, the first tree which is the symbol of sin and the second tree which is the symbol of life. In the drama there was only one tree, but they hang on this tree two things, first, they hung apples on the tree - the most available fruit during winter and these symbolize the fruit of sin from the tree which caused the downfall of man. And also on the same tree they would hang biscuits or wafers which came to be known as the fruit of the tree of life. So you have one tree representing the two trees of paradise represented by hanging apples and wafers.


But alas the church put a stopped to this popular drama done on the 24th of December. I don’t know exactly the reason why, but probably they depicted Adam and Eve naked. But you see, people have grown fond of the tree that was set up in the middle of the stage of that Paradise Play, and so, at home, on the eve of Christmas they did what they could no longer do in public - they set up a tree in the middle of the house, hang apples on it branches and also homemade biscuits or wafers. Now we have what we now call the Christmas tree symbolizing the Trees of Paradise with red and silver Christmas balls hanging all over it which in the past were real apples and wafers. Some Filipinos however set this up as early as September and hang in them whatever they can get their hands with. That my friends is the origin of the Christmas Tree.
So now, to the more important question, what is the relationship of the Christmas Tree and Corpus Christi? Probably some of you who are more attentive than the rest have already a hint. The Christmas Tree or what was originally known as the paradise tree represents the two trees of paradise - the tree that brought evil to this world and the apples that symbolize sin, eaten by Adam and Eve, and the other tree with the wafers hanging all over it symbolizing the tree of life. This second tree is most often referred to as the tree of the cross and the wafers would remind people of the body of Christ, the bread of life, to be eaten and consumed.
So now we have salvation history told simply by the simple Christmas tree. Sin started in paradise on that tree whose fruit was eaten by Adam and Eve. They were banished and they lost forever their place in paradise. But as they were driven out, God promised them a Savior who will one day restore them to their rightful place - that tree standing in the middle of the garden merited for us a Savior. And true enough the Savior was born on December 25. The word was made flesh and made his dwelling upon us. He preached, he did miracles, he raised the dead, he healed the sick, he gave the new commandment, he suffered, and he died and rose again winning for us the promised salvation by hanging on the second tree, the tree of the cross. On this cross which he anticipated on Holy Thursday, the day he instituted the Eucharist, he gave us his flesh as the bread of life. Just as the tree through the disobedience of our first parents brought sin and punishment, so the tree through the obedience of Jesus brought righteousness and grace into the world. Just as the fruit of the tree of sin, the apple, introduced death into the world, the fruit of the tree of the cross, the wafer, gave back life to the world. For this we are drawn to the second tree of paradise and have come to eat of its fruit, the bread of life, and thereon now stand to regain paradise. This wafer is the body of Christ, this wafer is the Corpus Christi, this wafer is the bread of life, the bread that will bring us all back home to paradise.
I do not know how you feel about this. Every year we set up our Christmas Trees with no thought except that this is an appropriate decoration to grace our living rooms every Christmas. But the Christmas tree says a lot. In fact it is summary and at the same time the culmination of salvation history which started at the Garden of Eden, leading to the birth of the Savior, leading to his death and resurrection and now to the giving of his body and blood for the life of the world. The fruit of the tree of sin was consumed and it brought death and destruction. Now we gather to consume the fruit of the tree of life that we may little by little restore ourselves to the garden from whence we originated and to all the things that is right and all the things that the garden stood for, in our life, in our relationship with one another and with the world around us. The Christmas tree is the symbol of paradise lost and paradise gained.
As we remember our Christmas trees last year let us ask ourselves, what are we consuming, what are we eating right now? Are we still eating the apple; in disobedience to God, are we still eating the fruit from the tree of sin that makes us live wanton and reckless lives; or are we now consuming the wafer, the fruit of the tree of life, the fruit of the tree of the cross so as to live holy lives obedient to God. Are we nourishing ourselves with the fruit that continues to lead us deeper into sin, and to further unhappiness, or are we nourished by the wafer that would lead us to live peaceable lives, each day coming nearer to paradise? What are we eating? What fruit and from what tree?
Now you see the connection between the Christmas Tree and the feast of the Corpus Christi. In this feast we have come full circle - we came from the paradise losing it by disobedience, now in this feast we are reminded that we are going back from whence we came, with the bread of life as food for the journey. And there should be no turning back. We are after all coming home.
PS.
I know this is highly improper in the middle of the year, in the wet and humid month of June. But I can’t help it, for in the sight of a Christmas tree I am enthralled by salvation history in just one glance. And so I say.
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Thy leaves are so unchanging;
How often has the Christmas tree
Afforded me the greatest glee!
O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!
Much pleasure thou can'st give me.