Homily - The Epiphany of the Lord (Year C)

The Epiphany of the Lord (Year C)

First Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6         Second Reading: Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6        Gospel Reading: Matthew 2:1-12

“LORD, ALL THE NATIONS WILL ADORE YOU.”

A little boy returned from Sunday school with a new perspective on the Christmas story. He had learned all about the Wise Men from the East who brought gifts to the Baby Jesus. He was so excited that he could hardly wait to tell his parents.

As soon as he arrived home, he immediately began, “I learned all about the very First Christmas in Sunday school today! There wasn’t a Santa Claus way back then, so these three skinny guys on camels had to deliver all the toys!”

He further continued, “And Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer with his nose so bright also wasn’t there yet, so they had to have this big spotlight in the sky to find their way around!”

Today, we solemnly celebrate the feast of “The Epiphany of the Lord,” and this is the last Sunday of the Christmas season. Now, the word “Epiphany” comes from the Greek word 'Epiphania' meaning 'revelation,' or 'manifestation.' According to the tradition, “The Epiphany of the Lord” signifies - specifically the manifestation of the Christ child to the entire world. The feast is based on one of the most enigmatic stories in the New Testament, of the visit of the Magi (Wise Men), shortly after the birth of Jesus, reported in the Gospel of Matthew: “Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’” The Magi followed the star which led them to Bethlehem. There they found the Christ child, did him homage and presented him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The Magi represent the non-Jewish world – they represent us. Their arrival on the scene shows, as it were, that the Savior born in Bethlehem comes not just for one people, but for all peoples, all races – of all times and places. And we joyfully proclaim, “Lord, all the nations will adore you.”

Surely, one of the great stories of Christmas is the story of the visit of the Magi from the East. Wherever the story of the birth of Jesus is told, so too is told this delightful tale of strange men from some faraway land who brought gifts to the baby Jesus. The story comes to us only in Matthew's Gospel and its enigmatic nature stems from its brevity. Matthew apparently thought the Magi needed no introduction, so his readers at the time would already have known who they were.

But who were they? We do not know a great deal about these Wise men, for very few details are given about these men in the Scripture. Most of our ideas about them actually come from tradition or speculation. They are really known as 'The Magi' or 'The Wise Men' in the scriptures. They seem to have been the priest-kings and the scholars of their day. They suddenly glide into the Christmas story, pay their homage to the newborn king of the Jews, offer their gifts to him and silently slip away.

We do not know how many of them there were; but it is generally assumed three, since they brought three gifts. We don't know the names of these Wise men. According to medieval legends, the three Wise men were named Melchior, Balthazar and Caspar - but we really don't know their names.

Also, we aren't sure just exactly what nation they came from. They came from the East, verse 1 says. Tradition holds each of them came from a different culture: Melchior was Asian, Balthazar was Persian and Caspar was Ethiopian - thus representing the three races known to the ancient world.

So, why does Matthew tell the story in the way he does? What is Matthew trying to tell us here? And what is it about Matthew's story of the Magi that has so captured the imagination of the Church in a way that the shepherds in Luke's Gospel have not? What is the point of this remarkable story of the coming of the wise men from the East? There are four key elements in the story: the journey of the Magi, following the star, the gifts they bring and their return by a different way.

 

The journey of the Magi:

The story of the Magi focuses on their long journey, seeking the Savior of the world. They placed their time, talent, and treasure at the service of their mission. Their journey of a thousand miles or more westward from their countries in the East which could have taken almost three months is really a symbol of the inward journey they made in their hearts, a journey from paganism to belief in Jesus as the Savior of the world. As a matter of fact, it was a journey of their faith, for it was through the grace of God that the Wise men were led to faith in Jesus.

Christian life, the life of God's people, is most often represented in the Bible and in literature, as a journey – a journey that begins with our confession of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and ends when we at last meet him and the Father, face to face, in God's heavenly kingdom.

Indeed, it is not just the Wise men but all of us who are on a journey to get closer to Jesus our Savior. We each have a journey to make to Jesus because none of us is yet fully converted and each of us has corners in our hearts and lives in need of Jesus’ healing and redemption.

Again, like the Wise men, we too have to rely on the grace of God to lead us to the light of Jesus our Savior. And when we seek God with sincere determination like the Wise men, we too will find him, for he is not hiding from us, but wants to have an intimate relationship with each of us.

Following the star:

There is talk of the Magi following the star that led them to the manifestation of the Christ child. They saw a star rising in the east and recognized that a new king had been born and came to visit him. Was there indeed at this time a comet or supernova or some significant conjunction of planets which would be particularly meaningful to these men? Even so, how does one follow a star? Have you ever tried? How do you know when a star is 'over the place' you are looking for? You could travel several hundred miles and the star could still be 'over' you. Probably, we are wasting our time looking for some significant stellar happening. The star is rather to be seen as a symbol: 'A light representing Jesus as the Light of the whole world.'

This light is the theme of Isaiah the prophet in our First Reading of today: “Jerusalem,” he cries out, “your light has come: in the midst of darkness and thick clouds covering the earth, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.” For the people of Israel, then in exile in a foreign land, Isaiah was promising redemption, renewal and a new life, restored to their own land. And the promise goes beyond the Jewish people, to all peoples. For the Prophet says, “Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” So, when the Magi see the star, they head out for Jerusalem. A promise made hundreds of years before, comes to fulfillment in the birth of Jesus.

'The Star of Bethlehem,' shines brightly over us. It is now our star. That star will lead others who search for him to cross our paths. We have been enlightened by Christ and empowered with the mission of Epiphany, to make his glory manifest. We are called to be light for others, to be Christmas stars for those whose hearts still seek. “Lord, all the nations will adore you.”

The gifts given:

The Magi went to great lengths to find the "King of the Jews" and "do him homage." As part of that homage they offered their gifts of 'gold, frankincense and myrrh.' These gifts seem inspired by Isaiah 60:6 quoted in today's First Reading, "They shall bring gold and frankincense."

For century upon century, the preachers and teachers of the Church have focused their attention on the gifts brought by the Magi. For Matthew, the gifts of the Magi point to who Christ is. These three gifts presented by the Magi to the Child Jesus, reveal in a way his identity. The legendary visit would later give rise to the custom of gift-giving at Christmas.

Early interpreters suggested that the gold offered to Christ was symbolic of what one did in ancient times to offer tribute at the reign of a new King; The gift of gold therefore symbolizes 'the kingship of Christ.' And frankincense, the aromatic incense used by the priests in sacred rituals was offered to the Christ child according to tradition as a token of his being 'the Son of God.' The gift of frankincense points to 'Christ as our priest,' the one who intercedes for us. And finally, the offering of myrrh, a spice often used to prepare a body for burial, was a foretelling of the destiny of the Christ child as the suffering servant who would be crucified and die for the salvation of all. The gift of myrrh therefore symbolizes that 'Christ is our Savior.'

Over time, the Church began to reinterpret the gifts of the Magi as symbolic of the acts of faith and devotion that could be offered by ordinary people in adoration of the Christ child. Gold came to symbolize the 'virtue' of the faithful, frankincense became 'acts of piety and prayer,' and myrrh symbolized 'sacrifice.' Let's accept this time honored approach, and ask ourselves what are the gifts that we are prepared to bring to the Christ child on this Epiphany Sunday and in the New Year ahead.

The return by a different way:

Having followed the star and brought their gifts, the Magi then returned home, but they did so by a different route. Matthew explains that this was to keep Herod from discovering the child, but it also indicates that things had changed for the Magi. They had found what they had come looking for, but they could not have anticipated how it would change them. And Matthew suggests that it will change us, as well. When we get to know Jesus Christ, we are changed forever and cannot go back to our old ways of life.

Now, the feast of “The Epiphany of the Lord,” tells us that Jesus came not only for the Jews but also for the Gentiles. Paul states this very clearly in the Second Reading of today in his letter to the Ephesians, “…in Christ Jesus, the Gentiles are now co-heirs with the Jews, members of the same body, and sharers of the same promise through the preaching of the Gospel.” In other words, God wants everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth. How wonderful! God, who first chose the Jewish people, has associated us to that election, in Christ Jesus, so that we now form, all nations together, but a single and unique Body of Christ! “Lord, all the nations will adore you.”

 

Twenty centuries have gone-by since that first adoration of the Magi, and this long procession of the gentile world still continues to make its way to Christ. Through this feast of “The Epiphany of the Lord,” the Church proclaims the manifestation of Jesus to all mankind of all times, with no distinction of race or nation. “The Epiphany of the Lord,” is the feast of faith and of the apostolate of faith. It is a feast of our seeking & recognizing Jesus, and coming to him & worshiping him at this Mass with the gold of our love, the myrrh of our humility and the frankincense of our adoration. It is also the feast of God's challenge to each one of us, so that the entire world may be incorporated into the People of God. It reminds us therefore that we should use every available means to bring our friends, relatives and colleagues close to Jesus. “LORD, ALL THE NATIONS WILL ADORE YOU.”

                                                    

 

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Homily - The New Year, 2013 (Year C)

The New Year - 2013 (Year C)

                 (SOLEMNITY OF MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD)

First Reading:  Numbers 6:22-27       Second Reading: Galatians 4:4-7       Gospel Reading: Luke:16-21

 

"A NEW BEGINNING FOR A NEW YEAR.”

There is a story told of a certain Mr. Brown who taught swimming and diving for a number of years. Among his trainees there was a young boy named Billy. Billy had watched so many professional divers and wanted so much to dive like them that he refused to take time to learn the basics. Time after time Mr. Brown tried to help Billy see that the most important thing about diving was to keep his head in the proper position. If his head entered the water properly, Mr. Brown explained, the rest of his body would enter the water properly–at least, more properly than it had been. Billy would dive into the pool, do a belly flop, and come up grinning, “Mr. Brown,” he would shout, “were my feet together?”

“Billy, I don’t care whether your feet were together or not,” Mr. Brown shouted back. “Make sure your head is straight, then everything else will work out.”

The next time Billy would stand on the edge of the pool and really concentrate. Then he would dive and, once again, make a mess of it. “Mr. Brown, were my hands together?”

“Billy,” Mr. Brown would groan in frustration, “I’m going to get you a neck brace and weld it onto your head. For the hundredth time, if your head is right the rest of you will be right. If your head is wrong, the rest of you will be wrong.”

And isn’t that true in all of life? It is said, 'Well begun is half done,' and it is our head that gives a start. If our head is wrong, our marriage will probably suffer. If our head is wrong, our priorities will be fouled up. If our head is wrong, it may even affect our health in a negative way. We require therefore, to keep our head right and give our life a proper direction right in the beginning, so that the rest of it will be all right. Surely, God understands our distress and He ever seeks to make us new persons so that we can handle our distress more effectively and become more successful and happy in our lives.

Today is 1^st January and we stand on the threshold of a “New Year” and a “New Beginning.” Here we are in a month named after the Roman god Janus, an appropriate personification of the start of the New Year. The one special thing about the god Janus is he is two-faced. He has a face looking to the past and a face looking to the future at the same time. That is why the god Janus became the symbol of New Year’s where, just as we are today, we look at the past and give thanks for that. We look to the future and gather our hopes for that.

So, today as we get rid of an old year and look forward to a new one, we all try to be a little like Janus. This is indeed a time to reflect and think about what the past year that has just ended has brought and what the new year lying right ahead of us could bring. So, the beginning of a new year, as we put our heads into it, provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the special gift of time and demands that we keep our heads straight:

We recall the events of the previous year and express our gratitude to God for all the good things that have happened, all the while being aware that there have also been sad and painful experiences and perhaps sinful realities for which we feel sorry, and also the missed opportunities for which we regret. It is a time to reflect, to stop and analyze, to take stock of our priorities, values, pursuits, and goals. Through soul searching questions we find that a review of the past year naturally leads to setting goals and resolutions for the new year.

But most of all we joyfully celebrate the promise of a new set of months with new opportunities and happiness, and we try to be hopeful in spite of uncertainties and unknown threats lying ahead. Today therefore, is a day to pray for God's blessings upon each one of us as we proceed in the new year with fresh resolutions. Yes, it is God's blessing we all need on this first day of the new year. In the First Reading of today, we have an example of Levitical blessing, which Moses instructs his brother Aron:

                "The LORD bless you and keep you!

                 The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!

                 The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!"

This blessing has passed the test of time. Originating with the chosen people, this blessing has been pronounced for three millennia and we can still employ this whenever we want to pray for God's blessing. What a beautiful thing it is to have God's blessing to go forward with "A NEW BEGINNING FOR A NEW YEAR.”

 

The Catholic Church also celebrates "World Day of Peace" on the 1st of January. On this day our Holy Father Pope Benedict XIII has asked us to pray for peace in the world and the theme he has chosen for the Year 2013 celebration is "Blessed are the peacemakers."

This year would also mark the 50th anniversary of Blessed John XXIII's encyclical, "Pacem in Terris" (Peace on Earth). Pope John's encyclical affirmed the essential place of human dignity and human freedom in the effort to build a peaceful society, dedicated to promoting common good. The late Pope's plea for peace, for respect of human dignity and freedom, and more basically, for respect for what is right and good, holds out ' a message of hope to a world that is hungry for it, a message that can resonate with people of all beliefs and none, because its truth is accessible to all.'

The past year has been one of many events that marred the peace of the world - social injustices, terrorist activities, wars, revolutions, natural disasters like earthquakes, floods etc. just to mention a few of them. There are also threats to religious liberty and other basic rights, the global financial  crisis and crises in politics and education signal a 'worrying crisis of democracy.' Moreover, we live in a world where families and life itself are threatened and not infrequently fragmented. We wonder, and sometimes we worry – what the new year is going to bring about! All we can do is to place our full trust in God during our times of problems and crises and pray for his blessing of peace.

Today, as we also celebrate “World Peace Day,” the proposed theme - “Blessed are the peacemakers,” echos in our minds and hearts. We are therefore called to begin the New Year by being a peacemaker. But we must first make peace with our past and the relationships that have been broken through unforgiveness in order to give ourselves "A NEW BEGINNING FOR A NEW YEAR.” 

The 1^st of January is also the culmination of the octave of Christmas when we celebrate the “Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God.” Exactly a week back we celebrated with great joy the feast of Christmas, commemorating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was born of the Blessed Virgin Mary and reflected upon the mystery of the Incarnation, i.e. God taking the form of a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. The life of Jesus begins with Mary. Therefore, it is appropriate that we begin the New Year with a Feast of Mary, the Holy Mother of God. Since Mary is the Mother of God she is the mother of joy, joy to the world. So the traditional greeting on this first day of the New Year is one of joy: “Happy New Year!”

Today's special feast affirms that the Blessed Virgin Mary is truly the Mother of God and shows the importance of her role in the mystery of our salvation. This Catholic Dogma finds its origin from the passage found in the Gospel of Luke. After the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary, she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Upon her arrival, Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit expressed her joy at the arrival of “the Mother of God.”

In 431 A.D, the Council of Ephesus affirmed that Mary was truly the Mother of God because “according to the flesh” she gave birth to Jesus, who was truly God from the first moment of His conception. Twenty years later the Council of Chalcedon re-affirmed that the Motherhood of Mary was a truthful dogma and an official doctrine of the Holy Catholic Church. Her Motherhood began when the eternal God entered human history. The second Divine person of the Trinity, the Word, took on a human nature in the womb of Mary.

In the Second Reading, through his letter to Galatians, Saint Paul tells us that we have become God's adopted daughters and sons. Through Jesus' Spirit, we are made God's own children and heirs of all that God has promised. God is "Abba," like a wonderful parent who is absolutely crazy about us. In a special way, Jesus has given us Mary to be our mother, too. So, Mary is not only Jesus' mother, but she is our mother too and she cares for us and for all of God's family with the same love she had for Jesus. So, on this New Year Day, let us turn to Mary, our mother, with all our needs and hopes, confident that she will never fail us and give "A NEW BEGINNING FOR A NEW YEAR.” 

To conclude, recalling the Gospel Reading of today, it has a special message for us as we hang up the new calendar with mixed feelings. The fresh New Year is in some way like the infant Jesus "wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." Both the new year and the new child seem so vulnerable but the almighty power of God is hidden in the new year, just as it is in the tiny infant. God is fully prepared to wrap our fragile lives and hopes in the warm blanket of his ever present and constant love. With such assurance, we can face the future with generous hope and with light hearts. For we too need to realize that the angels who spoke to the shepherds are speaking to us also when they say, "This will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." Let us then glorify and praise God, as the shepherds did, for his gift of the New Year and enter into it with our head straight with "A NEW BEGINNING FOR A NEW YEAR.”  

 Wish you all a Very Happy New Year!

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Homily - The Holy Family (Year C)

The Holy Family (Year C)

First Reading: 1 Samuel 1:20-22, 24-28      Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-2, 21-24      Gospel Reading: Luke 2:41-52

 

There is a story told of Emperor Cyrus, the founder of the Persian Empire. Once he had captured a prince and his family. When they came before him, the monarch asked the prisoner, "What will you give me if I release you?" "The half of my wealth," was his reply. "And if I release your children?" "Everything I possess." "And if I release your wife?" "Your Majesty, I will give myself." Cyrus was so moved by his devotion to his family that he freed them all.

As they returned home, the Prince said to his wife, "Wasn’t Cyrus a handsome man!" With a look of deep love for her husband, she said to him, "I didn’t notice. I could only keep my eyes on you - the one who was willing to give himself for me."

 

In the story above, the prince's family appears to be a good and a loving family, which despite a terribly desperate and extremely difficult situation that they are in, the husband loves his wife so very much, so also the wife deeply loves her husband and values him above all; there is love of the parents for their children who are important and precious to them as if they are their whole possession. Actually, it is at bad, hard and adverse times, so to say, that the strength of a family is really tested.

Families are part of God's plan. They are the essential cells of society in which parents and children are sustained and grow into maturity. Triune God (Father, Son & Holy Spirit), who is a Family in Himself, chose a human family to come into this world to bring salvation to humankind and thus sanctified all human families. This mystery of the Incarnation, just a few days ago we celebrated during Christmas.

 

Today, we celebrate the feast of “the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,” which is the model for all Christian families and it is customary to celebrate this feast on the Sunday immediately following our celebrations on the birth of Jesus at Christmas. It is a time when we can reflect on the quality of our own family life in the light of the Church's (if not the world's) ‘First Family’.

For a large part of his life Jesus was part of a family. We always imagine that the Holy Family must have been an extremely happy family. Yet, like every other family, it too had from time to time its ups and downs, its joys and sorrows, its problems and difficulties. In fact, challenges faced them right from the very beginning.

 

When we turn to the Gospels we find that this so called the Holy Family isn't a very normal one. The mother is a virgin and the father is not the biological father of the child. And they are not living in some ideal family setting but rather being so hounded by the megalomaniac Herod that they must find safety in Egypt fleeing as refugees. But this is the family God had chosen, the one in which His Son would mature. Mary had already heard the mind-blowing invitation to be the mother of God. She had listened to the Word of God, accepted it and now in a sense was doing it, living out the consequences. Then there is Joseph her husband. He had already been surprised by the news of Mary's pregnancy, who was betrothed to him and proved himself just in the way he had respected the law but shown kindness and compassion to her. Again he was faced by another upheaval. He had to listen to God's word in a dream and had to take the responsibility of guiding his wife & child through the dangers of a journey to Egypt and back.

 

Now, most of Jesus’ childhood is shrouded in mystery, but today’s Gospel Reading from St. Luke brings us to Jesus, who at the age of twelve is on the threshold of manhood. His upbringing has obviously been deeply religious for he and his family have gone on pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. After the departure of Mary and Joseph, Jesus remains behind in the Temple. There he amazes the religious teachers with his wisdom and intelligence. When Jesus' parents discover him missing, they are upset. The moment of realizing that Jesus was not among the group and could not be found would be an incident that would sear itself onto any parent’s soul. So, they search for Jesus; and when they do find him in the temple, his mother, as any mother would, asks him what he thought he was up to, causing all this worry for her and his father? His response must have confounded her, presumably the up-until-that-point obedient son suggests that he had another Father and a greater mission than carpentry in Nazareth. Jesus here explains the importance of putting God first in our lives and when we do this, everything else in life will fall into place.

 

In the Second Reading of today from the First Letter of St. John we are told that God is our Father too and we all are His children - “Beloved, See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. And so we are.” There's then the Family of God, the Heavenly Family and we all are called to be its members – it is our ultimate destiny too.

 

Now again, why is it that we call this Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph – “Holy?” This family is holy because God is present in it and also it is responsive to the demanding word of God spoken in the very trying circumstances of their daily lives. The measure of a holy family is not found in what does - or does not - happen to its members. Rather, a holy family is one that demonstrates a certain grace and confidence when faced with the events of daily living, especially the unexpected ones. While the ups and downs, the joys and pains of Jesus, Mary and Joseph have something to teach us, the real lesson for us who try to maintain and nurture holy families in our own lives is how the Holy Family faced life's tribulations. We must therefore consider the great peace and serenity of mind and heart of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph, shown in their constancy amid all the unexpected events that befell them.

 

In the First Reading of today from the First Book of Samuel, we are told of yet another exemplary and God fearing family of Hanah and Elkanah, and Samuel their child of old age, blessed by God as Hanah was barren, whom they dedicated to the Lord in the temple of Jerusalem. They always trusted God and lived their life fulfilling His will.

 

So, what we are celebrating today is that the God who created the institution of the family, despite its shortcomings, chose to transform it through the Incarnation of His only Son Jesus Christ and make it one of the ways by which he saved us. We can learn in the example of the Holy Family that, despite all our failures and difficulties, we too are called to become holy through living out God's word in the midst of our families. We must imitate the Holy Family in our own relationships when we impress upon our minds and hearts that the world does not revolve around us, that things do not always go our way, that our plans are frequently not the last word. We cannot always control what happens to us: we can, however, choose how to respond to the unexpected in our lives in ways that promote faith, tranquility, strength and courage.

 

There has only been one “Holy Family” upon earth, and it is now re-united in heaven. But scattered all over the earth there are no doubt many people and many families who try in their own way to reproduce the life of Nazareth by putting God first in everything and doing His holy will, whatever happens. They will never make much noise in the world, nor take up much space in our newspapers. But they are, so to speak, 'the pillars of the earth'; and when everything is made known then we shall surely be amazed to discover them, just as the inhabitants of the world would have been amazed to discover who it was that was living in that little house in Galilee.

                                                 

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Homily - Christmas Dawn Mass (Year C)

Christmas Dawn Mass (Year C)

First Reading: Isaiah 62:11-12          Second Reading: Titus 3:4-7          Gospel Reading: Luke 2:15-20

“LET'S GO! LET US GO TO BETHLEHEM...”

There is a story told of a young man who sent his parents a microwave oven one Christmas. They were very excited that now they, too, could be a part of the instant generation. When the man's Dad unpacked the microwave and plugged it in, literally within seconds, the microwave transformed the two smiles into a frown! Even after reading the directions, to their utter disappointment, they couldn't make it work at all.

Two days later the man's Mom was playing bridge with a friend and she told her about the Christmas gift her son had sent them. But with great sadness in her heart, she confessed her inability to get that microwave oven even to boil water. “To get this darn thing to work,” she exclaimed, “I really don't need better directions; I just needed my son to come along with the gift!”

When God gave the gift of salvation to mankind, He didn't send a booklet of complicated instructions for us to figure out. He rather sent His only Son – “Emmanuel, which means 'God is with us.'”

Today, with great joy and solemnity we celebrate Christmas - the feast of God's magnanimous and unconditional love, the feast of God's Self-gift to mankind. For Christmas is 'God's gift laid in human hands.' The Christmas event, i.e. the birth of our Lord Jesus in a stable in the small village of Bethlehem of Judea is one of the most important events in the history of mankind, an event when God takes the human form in the person of Jesus and comes into the world to save mankind from sin and death. So, today “LET'S GO! LET US GO TO BETHLEHEM...”

Originally, the Romans celebrated a feast on this day, called the 'festum solis invicti,' - the festival of the unconquered sun. The winter solstice has just passed and we are now moving into longer days, with more light and the resurgence of life in the soil. One can almost see Nature slowly waking up after its long winter hibernation. The trees look dead with their bare branches but in a matter of weeks they will be decked in all their leafy glory. All these speak of the Christmas phenomena of light and its joyful atmosphere, filling everyone with the hope of salvation.

Joy everywhere....

The Christmas story resonates with the theme of light and the baby in the manger is the Light of the World. Light surrounds the shepherds as the angels sing their praises of God: "Glory to God in the highest and, on earth, peace to all who are favored by God." The whole atmosphere is also suffused with joy, the joy of the angels and of the shepherds as they hasten to Bethlehem to find the new-born child. Joy is a theme which goes right through Luke's gospel. Let us also today joyfully say, “LET'S GO! LET US GO TO BETHLEHEM...”

.... and liberation

Another cause for joy is the liberation that Jesus brings. The first reading from all four Christmas Masses is from the prophet Isaiah who tells of the restoration of Jerusalem from total destruction. This morning’s passage proclaims boldly: “Your Savior has come and you are made holy by this coming.” Isaiah makes it clear that we are made holy by God’s presence in our midst - 'He is Emmanuel.'

In the Gospel Reading, the angel too joyfully announces to the shepherds the message of salvation - “To you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, Who is the Messiah, the Lord.” and joining together with the shepherds let us say - “LET'S GO! LET US GO TO BETHLEHEM...”

Christmas is the Good News of our salvation, and in the Second Reading in his letter to Titus, St. Paul makes it clear that the Good News of our salvation has nothing to do with commandments and laws. He says, "not because of any righteous deeds that we have done, but because of God’s mercy."

 

Now, we began our Christmas celebration with Night Mass, and the story of the birth of Jesus in the stable in Bethlehem, told in a very matter-of-fact way: St Luke at his pithiest. There is a striking contrast, in fact, between the humble ordinariness of Christ's birth and the dramatic scene when the angel of the Lord, and the whole heavenly host, appear to the shepherds in the nearby countryside.

In fact, we left the angels singing the 'Gloria' until the Dawn Mass, when the story is taken up again with the departure of the angels. The shepherds then dash off to see the child for themselves. It's rather a great idea that the angels are left singing all night by the liturgical arrangement of these two gospels. It reminds us that the heavenly choirs are joined in perpetual adoration of God, that heaven never sleeps; and that our participation in the liturgy, such as when we sing the 'Gloria' at Dawn Mass, is a share in the eternal worship of the angels – the very life of heaven itself.

The Gospel Reading this morning shows us how to exactly connect with Christmas. The shepherds lead us in the way of action: “LET'S GO!” they say. “LET US GO TO BETHLEHEM.” It's the road we also must take to meet Jesus—not in a dream world, not in theory, but in the concrete circumstances of our lives. We need to ask ourselves right now 'Where should I be heading? Where concretely is Jesus waiting for me?'

 

On the First Christmas night infant Jesus, Mary and Joseph were alone. But God sought out simple people as their companions: some shepherds, perhaps because, as they were poor and humble, they would not be dismayed at finding the Messiah in a cave, wrapped in swaddling clothes. Perhaps, it is to the shepherds of that district that prophet Isaiah referred: “Those who dwelt in the land of deep darkness, on them light has shone.” Never again will they be despised as having a menial task, or as being derelicts, worthless scruff on the edge of society. A whole new dignity will descend upon them as Jesus will one day dignify himself by calling himself the good and gentle shepherd.

The shepherds, though, don't seem to pause to reflect on the extraordinary privilege they have been granted of witnessing the heavens opened: they go straight into town to “see this thing that has happened.” And it is this – the apparently ordinary birth of a child in inauspicious circumstances – that really impresses them. But the shepherds know that in this particular child, in this particular time and place, they are encountering something much more. The angels have told them that this child, wrapped in swaddling cloths, is Christ, the Lord, the Savior of the world. Their little glimpse of heaven has encouraged them to go back to look at the world with new eyes, to see the real meaning of events that look, outwardly, perfectly ordinary. This is what causes them to go back “glorifying and praising God.”

It is a wonderful thing that the story should tell that the first announcement of God came to some simple shepherds. It was to simple men of the fields that God's message came first. But these were in all likelihood very special shepherds. They lived in the outskirts of Bethlehem, close to Jerusalem where the temple was, where every morning and evening , an unblemished lamb (that must have come from them) was offered as a sacrifice to God. It is therefore a lovely thought that shepherds who looked after the lambs for temple sacrifices were the first to see “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

Again, God also wanted those shepherds to be the first bearers of the news that they would go around telling “all they had heard and seen. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.” In the same way Jesus reveals himself to us in the midst of the ordinary incidents of each day; and we need the same dispositions of simplicity and humility in order to reach him. It is possible that throughout our lives he gives us signs that mean nothing to us if we see him merely humanly. We have to be alert so as to discover Jesus in the simplicity of ordinary life, “wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger,” without any showy manifestations, and proclaim him to the world.

Christmas is God's gift to us, an opportunity for new beginnings. It is not that we have found him; but that we have allowed him to find us, and fill us with wonder and surprise and dignity. It is inconceivable that the shepherds would not have set out without taking gifts for the baby – most probably the choicest of lambs. Nor, can we go to the cave of Bethlehem without taking our gifts. So, “LET'S GO! LET US GO TO BETHLEHEM...” let us hasten today to Bethlehem with our gifts. But what gifts? Some attractive and valuable packages? Perhaps better, we can give some gifts this Christmas which are beyond monetary value: Mending a quarrel, dismissing suspicion, telling someone, 'I love you.' Giving something away - anonymously. Forgiving someone who has treated us wrong. Turning away wrath with a soft answer. Visiting someone in a nursing home. Apologizing if we were wrong. Being especially kind to someone with whom we work. Giving as God gave to us in Christ, without obligation, or announcement, or reservation, or hypocrisy.

Let us enjoy and celebrate our Christmas today, but let us also not forget what exactly we are celebrating and that the message of Christmas extends well beyond the festivities. Moreover, we must make Christmas a reality in the present, in the present of every moment throughout the year, each and every day.

May your Christmas be merry, happy, holy, and may you know your dignity every day of your life!

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