Here is the reflection I shared with those who came to celebrate with us at the Masses for Christmas. Merry Christmas to all of you!
Congratulations! You’ve made it to Christmas so just for a moment take a breath. Let all the stress of the past couple of weeks seep out of you, and pay attention instead to the fresh air that is filling your lungs. Like this fresh air, God wants us to know that he is here among us, refreshing our souls. Especially at Christmas time, there’s a part of all of us that remembers a time when we were children, when stories were read to us, when imagination was vibrant, so tonight (today), I wonder if we can listen once more to the story, and hear it with fresh ears.
We are gathered in this church tonight (today) because of a story that unfolded thousands of years ago in the lives of a young couple who lived in Nazareth. This was a special couple who had been visited by angels, who had heard some strange words: You are to conceive and bear a son (Lk 1:31); and the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit (Mt 1:20). You might say that this couple had a secret. They understood that this was the way it was supposed to be, but no one else had seen the angels.
Life continued for Mary and Joseph. By order of the Roman leaders, they had to travel from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem, the city of David, in order to be registered, and they didn’t travel in great luxury either. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child, and she gave birth to her first-born son, wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger. The maternity ward where Jesus was born was far from sterile, but he had the warmth of his parents’ love; the love of a couple who knew already that he was a special child, a child who would have a special mission. Joseph had heard the angel’s words: You will name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Mt 1:21).
The story doesn’t end there, because there were shepherds living in the fields and they too were visited by an angel that night, an angel who spoke some strange words to them: I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a saviour who is Christ the Lord. The angel told them where to find the child, and they were filled with great joy as they heard the choirs from heaven sing. Their hearts were filled with excitement and joy and they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger (cf Lk 2:8-16).
It seems that the land where this story of good news, this story of tender love, this story that inspired great joy in the hearts of the shepherds took place has experienced anything but good news in recent times. Christians in the Middle East have known afflictions and tribulations especially in the past couple of months because of a terrorist organization which has perpetrated all kinds of abuses and inhuman acts (Letter of the Holy Father, Pope Francis to Christians in the Middle East, December 21, 2014). In many ways, the Christians of the Middle East still feel as though they are walking in darkness, especially those who have been exiled and now find themselves in foreign lands, but they have indeed seen a great light. For this reason, they are called to be artisans of peace, reconciliation and development, to promote dialogue, to build bridges in the spirit of the Beatitudes (cf Mt 5:3-12), and to proclaim the Gospel of peace.
This is indeed the challenge that is set before all of us on this Christmas night (day): to proclaim the gospel of peace to our world, to tell everyone who we meet, through our actions and even in spoken words if necessary, that the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people (Ti 2:11). Inspired by the story that started it all, let us ask the Holy Family of Nazareth to pray for us, that their faith might enflame us with the joy that the shepherds knew so that we too will want to set out with haste in search of the child lying in the manger, and become more and more every day, artisans of peace and reconciliation for our world.
The story that started it all
Congratulations! You’ve made it to Christmas so just for a moment take a breath. Let all the stress of the past couple of weeks seep out of you, and pay attention instead to the fresh air that is filling your lungs. Like this fresh air, God wants us to know that he is here among us, refreshing our souls. Especially at Christmas time, there’s a part of all of us that remembers a time when we were children, when stories were read to us, when imagination was vibrant, so tonight (today), I wonder if we can listen once more to the story, and hear it with fresh ears.
We are gathered in this church tonight (today) because of a story that unfolded thousands of years ago in the lives of a young couple who lived in Nazareth. This was a special couple who had been visited by angels, who had heard some strange words: You are to conceive and bear a son (Lk 1:31); and the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit (Mt 1:20). You might say that this couple had a secret. They understood that this was the way it was supposed to be, but no one else had seen the angels.
Life continued for Mary and Joseph. By order of the Roman leaders, they had to travel from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem, the city of David, in order to be registered, and they didn’t travel in great luxury either. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child, and she gave birth to her first-born son, wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger. The maternity ward where Jesus was born was far from sterile, but he had the warmth of his parents’ love; the love of a couple who knew already that he was a special child, a child who would have a special mission. Joseph had heard the angel’s words: You will name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Mt 1:21).
The story doesn’t end there, because there were shepherds living in the fields and they too were visited by an angel that night, an angel who spoke some strange words to them: I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a saviour who is Christ the Lord. The angel told them where to find the child, and they were filled with great joy as they heard the choirs from heaven sing. Their hearts were filled with excitement and joy and they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the child lying in the manger (cf Lk 2:8-16).
It seems that the land where this story of good news, this story of tender love, this story that inspired great joy in the hearts of the shepherds took place has experienced anything but good news in recent times. Christians in the Middle East have known afflictions and tribulations especially in the past couple of months because of a terrorist organization which has perpetrated all kinds of abuses and inhuman acts (Letter of the Holy Father, Pope Francis to Christians in the Middle East, December 21, 2014). In many ways, the Christians of the Middle East still feel as though they are walking in darkness, especially those who have been exiled and now find themselves in foreign lands, but they have indeed seen a great light. For this reason, they are called to be artisans of peace, reconciliation and development, to promote dialogue, to build bridges in the spirit of the Beatitudes (cf Mt 5:3-12), and to proclaim the Gospel of peace.
This is indeed the challenge that is set before all of us on this Christmas night (day): to proclaim the gospel of peace to our world, to tell everyone who we meet, through our actions and even in spoken words if necessary, that the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people (Ti 2:11). Inspired by the story that started it all, let us ask the Holy Family of Nazareth to pray for us, that their faith might enflame us with the joy that the shepherds knew so that we too will want to set out with haste in search of the child lying in the manger, and become more and more every day, artisans of peace and reconciliation for our world.
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