Well, we celebrate Christmas
day, a liturgy full of light and grace, and even though we are so happy because
we are so blessed it is good to remember today that there are many people suffering
from loss of work, the inability to pay major debts, etc[1].
For us, Catholics, there is a positive facet to even negative
financial events. For us the general situation of the economy helps us to focus
in on the real meaning of Christmas.
Jesus Christ, the Eternal Word of God, became one of us and assumed
a human nature, through our blessed Mother. He was not born in a palace or a
mansion. His parents couldn’t
even get themselves into an Inn. Jesus was born in a dirty stable and placed in
the feeding bin for the animals, a manger. St. Francis of Assisi is credited
with forming the first Nativity Scene. That makes sense. The saint who saw little
value in material possessions was enthralled that God Himself didn’t just
become one of us, but was born as one of the poorest of us. St. Francis
believed that poverty brought richness. Through his very poverty St. Francis
sensed the richness about him as he felt the presence of God in all creation,
Brother Sun and Sister Moon, the birds, animals, stars, and particularly the
people. The Eternal Word
embraced this same richness, richness not in stuff, but a richness that
luxuriates in the reflection of the Creator in His Creation.
It is easier this year for us to ask ourselves, “What really
matters?” It is easier for us to recognize the one joy that cannot be taken
from us, the joy of the Lord. And it is fundamental for us as Christians to
realize that all people have a right to this joy. We have a responsibility to
sow love where there is hatred, pardon where there is injury, faith where there
is doubt, hope where there is despair, light where there is darkness, and joy
where there is sadness. That, I am sure you recognize is the Prayer of St.
Francis, the poor man who understood Christmas.
There is a story about an old priest who would fill his church
on Christmas. He always gave the
same, very simple sermon. He would speak for
thirty to forty-five minutes and the people would be on the edge of their
seats. He only spoke one sentence, but he repeated it over and over
in various tones, and in various volumes. The sentence was this: The Wood of the Manger is the
Wood of the Cross. Christ came to sacrifice Himself for us to
restore our ability to be spiritual, that’s our challenge today: let us be more
spiritual and let us live a life of sacrificial love, remembering all the time
that He came to give us peace. He came to lift our burdens of sin, and desperation.
Today we are called to embrace the meaning of Christmas. We lose so much if we limit ourselves to being
outsiders looking at the decorations, shedding a tear at the romantic carols,
and enjoying giving and expressing love through material gifts. There are many
beautiful aspects to Christmas, particularly the times of warmth spent with our
families, but Christmas is so much more than even these wonderful moments
together: Christmas is about Jesus Christ. We possess Him. He has become one of us. And He possesses us. He has given us the ability to be united to
Him.
My brother, my sister, Jesus Christ is real, not just in the
world, but in each of our lives. We need to give Him our sins, our troubles, our concerns, and
trust in Him. We need to be
Christians, people who live as He lived, living in sacrificial love.
Of course we all want ends to the economic difficulties so many
of us are experiencing, but our hope is not in the economy. Our hope is in
Jesus Christ.
So we celebrate Christmas this year perhaps in a purer way than
in the past. We celebrate the One who gave Himself to us. We celebrate the One who calls us to seek Him
out in the poor, suffering and outcast of the world. We celebrate the One who
calls us to give ourselves to Him.
And shepherds on the hillside heard a sky full of angels crying
out, Glory to God in the highest and
Peace to People of Good Will[2].
Peace to you. Peace to your families. Peace to our country. Jesus Christ is all that matters. Jesus
Christ is the One who matters. With Jesus Christ, we will have peace ■
