The Nativity of the Lord

So long the silence

lay unbroken,

the word

unheard until

he came,

both Word

and word

and on

the same

This is a beautiful time of the year. It is a time to celebrate family and friends, it is a time of warmth, a time of peace. We are people of light, but we are also people who find light in a world of darkness[1].
Jesus Christ, the Light of the World has come, but the world is still in darkness. We should be people of Starlight. Starlight in every one of our actions and feelings. Also, we need to adjust our eyes to the Lord’s starlight.
This is all poetic, yes, but how do we attain the focus we need in a world of chaos, confusion, in a world of darkness? The answer is Jesus. For a Christian, the answer to all questions about life is Jesus.
We look at his life: Born in poverty. Hunted as an infant. Mocked as an adult and crucified for loving others, he brought kindness and peace to those who allowed him into their lives. He would not allow darkness to overcome him. He would not let selfishness guides his choices. He lived to love! His love turned the darkness of the Good Thief crucified next to him… into light.
During this season we have a golden opportunity to be people plenty of gentleness and peace with those around us. We can turn the typical Christmas phoniness into an experience of the Lord if we make the determination right now to love them, to be kind to them and not to be concerned with whether or not we will be hurt once more.
In fact, the greatest compliment that anyone could ever say to any of us is “When I am with you, I know what Jesus must be like.”
When we try to be like the Lord, we will see the Divine starlight in the middle of the darkness. When we are like the Lord, we will be the Divine starlight in the middle of a dark world.

[1] Monday 24th December, 2007, Birth of the Lord. Midnight Mass. Isaiah 9:1-7. Today is born our Saviour, Christ the Lord-Ps 95(96):1-3, 11-13. Titus 2:11-14. Luke 2:1-14.
Ilustration: The picture shows a detail of the Puerta del Nacimiento of the Cathedral, Seville. The relief was made by Lorenzo Mercadante of Brittany, who appeared in Seville in 1451, and was an important figure in the area of pure sculpture. He executed a number of free-standing statues for the two doors of the cathedral known as the Puerta del Nacimiento and the Puerta del Bautismo, working in terra cotta, a material he handled with remarkable virtuosity, allied with great depth of feeling and tender humanity. His art exerted a natural influence on the religious sculptors of Andalusia, especially on Pedro Millán, who worked in Seville between 1487 and 1507. Spanish Gothic Sculptor, The Nativity (1460), Terracotta, Cathedral, Seville (Spain)