With four liturgies of the Word possible for our
Christmas celebration, creating one reflection becomes an
interesting challenge. Most will hear only one set of
readings and thus one homily from each preacher. But the
Scriptures are so magnificent and so hope-filled that it’s a
shame to overlook any one of the selections.
Let’s start with Isaiah. It is a bow to that great
prophet of warning, of endurance, and finally of triumph
that we have all three sections of the Prophet. In these
three sections we begin in Chapter 9 with the period before
the siege by Babylon when the threat was from the combined
Syrian and Northern Kingdom (then known as the Kingdom of
Israel. That section is a call to the people and their
leadership to trust in God – Yahweh who defines Self as
being WITH the people of Judah and Benjamin. That message is
one that tells of the birth of a child who will be a
continuation of the Line of David, the time of the united
Kingdom of all twelve tribes; a time of great prosperity and
joy. The child to be born would return the two tribes of
Judah and Benjamin to peace and joy while that child become
adult sits on the throne of David. The people in great
darkness of despair at the oncoming threat are given a great
light in the person of a child born. That child will be a
worthy king over Judah and Benjamin and bring a joyful
peace. This will come about because of God’s zeal for his
people. Clearly, this Christmas at this mass during the
night we apply the birth of this child promised by Isaiah to
the birth of Jesus, God and Man. He brings the beginnings of
a new Kingdom, one of peace through judgment and justice
when he ascends the throne of David. That ascension will
come by way of the Cross and Resurrection. For it is through
suffering that the work of the Kingdom is accomplished. Even
though suffering is mentioned here, it is in the second
segment of Isaiah that we hear about the "suffering
servant," that lamb of God whose suffering takes away the
enslavement of sin.
The reading from Isaiah for the Mass during the day is
from the second section of Isaiah. It is the time of the
captivity in Babylon. That was a time of slavery of loss of
freedom. During that time the exiled and captive people
struggled to understand why it was that God’s chosen people
had to go through all of this. It was during this time that
an awakening of ancient faith came about especially from an
examination of the history of the people with God. It was
during this time that the first five books of the Bible –
often called the books of Moses – were compiled from four
oral and some written accounts of the history of the people.
Those four traditions make up the story of salvation for
these people. These people became a nation made up of twelve
clans, tribes whose common bond was that they had as their
revered ancestor Abraham. Abraham was chosen by God to be
father of a great people. The Egyptian experience of welcome
turned to slavery became the story of this chosen people.
From favor to enslavement was also sensed as the story of
humanity. Formed in favor depravity and violence, dishonor
and untruth, goodness morphed into evil in lust for power,
for wealth, for pleasure. The slavery imposed by a nameless
Pharoah became the starting point of salvation of these
tribes formed into a nation by a generation of deprivation
in the desert. The Law became the antidote against the
depravity of the world gone bad. That story, that narrative
enriched the captives of Babylon and again they began to
long for the land given to Father Abraham. This reading from
Isaiah speaks of hope, a new beginning. While still captive
to the successor of Egypt, that harlot, Babylon, there arose
a hope and a conviction that God had not abandoned this
people God had chosen. Isaiah insists, in this reading, that
God has not forgotten. The ending phrase offers us as well
hope against what holds us captive, what terrors in our
hearts, what depravity deludes us, what chains have locked
up our spirits into sadness and the darkness that is God’s
absence in our living. "All the ends of the earth will
behold the salvation of our God." And our responsorial psalm
repeats with sounding joy – "all the ends of the earth have
seen the saving power of God." Perhaps if we understand the
depth of this, our hearts will be lifted up and we will
experience the freedom of the children of God!
The third section of Isaiah we hear in the reading for
the Vigil – the evening Mass on the 24th. This is the hope
of the enslaved. The story is the Cyrus of Persia – called
The Great – overcomes the Babylonian empire and releases the
Jews – Judah and Benjamin – and tells them to go home. He
returns the vessels looted from the Temple and supplies
artisans and engineers to rebuild the temple and the great
wall for the city Jerusalem. That vigil reading is
foretelling. "You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of
the Lord, a royal diadem held by your God. No more shall
people call you ‘Forsaken,’ or your land ‘Desolate,’ but you
shall be called ‘My Delight’ and your land ‘Espoused.’" Here
is a reversal at the hand of God from slavery to freedom.
Here is once again a community of praise for the God who
saves. What an opportunity for us to participate in this
release from captivity – if only we desire it sufficiently!
The reading at Dawn shouts out the joy that will be
coming to the enslaved. "They shall be called the holy
people, the redeemed of the Lord and you shall be called
‘Frequented,’ a city that is not forsaken." Yet the reality
of this release from slavery was not peaches and cream. The
work of rebuilding a destroyed city and its infrastructure
calls to mind in our day the rebuilding that will be so
costly and painful for the people of Ukraine. The writings
indicate how often teetering at the brink of despair were
these people as they struggled to regain the viability of
the city once build by David. Ah, David comes repeatedly
into the thinking and desires of the people of God! It was a
time of opportunity and achievement. It was a time of order
and beauty. It was a time when love was possible, love of
what God had made. Love in family that mirrored the very
life of God.
It is no wonder then, that the gospel readings shout out
the prophecies of Isaiah. In the vigil Mass, Matthew’s
account of the genealogy of Jesus ties us back into the
glory of the united kingdom formed by David. At the mass for
the night, we hear about the birth of Jesus, the coming of
the long-awaited one whose kingdom would replace that of
David. The Mass at dawn is from Luke’s gospel and brings in
the shepherds – and us with them as ordinary folk looking
for what we can’t define. And as Luke is often times heard,
he speaks of Mary and how she is the disciple we are to
emulate. "And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them
in her heart." It tells us to do likewise, to reflect on our
daily experience and discover there the secrets of creation
and our own particular experiences under the light that
comes with the Angels song and leads us to a very humble
place. It is there in that very humble place -as it is with
us in our ordinary living – that we view and experience what
Isaiah in all three iterations brings us to understanding
the meaning and purpose of our gifted living. But it’s John
whose prologue sings, literally sings in polyphonic meter
and pregnant words the wonder that is the Word, who was from
the beginning and through whom all things were made. And it
is that "Word that became flesh and made his swelling among
us." That past tense of "made" is only the coming. The
reality remains – that with eyes cleared of cataracts "we
see his glory, the glory of the Father’s only Son, full of
grace and truth." So may it be with us at our tables, in our
gatherings, in our assemblies as we sing that Angels song,
"Glory to God in the Highest, and peace on earth to all
persons of good will!"
Dennis Keller with Charlie
dkeller002@nc.rr.com
Blessed Christmas to all God’s Children, one and all
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3.
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TWO KINDS OF CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION: COMPARE THE PAIR
Isaiah 9: 1-7; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14
‘… but the angel said. "Do not be afraid. Listen, I bring
you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by all the people.
Today in the town of David a savior has been born to you; he
is Christ the Lord’ (Luke 2:10-11)
Houses, shops, and churches all around us are telling the
Christmas story, but in two different versions. In churches,
the story is about the birth of the child Jesus at
Bethlehem, about the loving and caring presence of his
parents Mary and Joseph, and about the visits, first by the
shepherds and their animals, and later, by the three kings
from the East. But the brightly-lit houses and shops in our
streets tell the story of Santa and Mrs. Claus, their
reindeer and sleigh, packed with presents for good children.
Both stories of Christmas though, even if in such different
ways, share some of the same messages. Christmas is about
being together and about generosity and love, peace and joy.
We are followers of Jesus. But we live in a society where
many other people have different religious beliefs or none
at all. The result is that some of our state schools, out of
respect for non-Christians, exclude any reference to the
stable of Bethlehem in their break-up celebrations. Beth, a
mother of six-year-old Nicholas, recalls what happened
recently at her son’s state school.
For weeks Nicholas had been memorizing songs for what his
teacher called the ‘Holiday Pageant’. His mother could not
get to her son’s performance on the night since she was
working, but she did get to the full-dress rehearsal the
same day. She reached the school gym ten minutes early,
found a spot on the floor in front of the makeshift stage,
and watched each class, led by their teacher, take their
places around the room until called to the stage to sing or
dance or both.
Because a couple of years ago the school had stopped even
using the word ‘Christmas’ – a word, incidentally, which
means ‘Christ-Mass’ – Beth was expecting only songs about
jingle bells, reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes, fun, and
good cheer. So, when Nicholas’ class rose to sing a song
that was announced as ‘Christmas love’, Beth could hardly
believe her ears.
There on the stage, her son was glowing with joy, as were
all his classmates, all decked out in their fur mittens, red
tops, and white snow caps. As the class was to sing ‘C is
for Christmas’, a child would hold up high the letter ‘C’.
The next child would hold up ‘H is for happy’ and so on
until all the cards spelled out the complete message
‘Christmas Love’.
That was the plan, but Beth reports what happened:
The performance was going smoothly until suddenly we
noticed her – a small shy girl in the front row holding the
letter ‘M’ upside down. She was totally unaware her letter
‘M’ appeared as a ‘W’. The audience, mainly other
schoolchildren, started giggling at the little one’s
mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her. So,
she stood tall, proudly holding up her ‘W’.
Beth goes on:
Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the
laughter continued until the last letter was raised. Then we
all saw it together. A hush came over the audience, and eyes
began to widen. In that instant, we understood the reason we
were there, and why even in the chaos and confusion, there
was a good reason for all our joy and fun.
For when the last letter was held up high the message
read loud and clear: ‘CHRIST WAS LOVE!’
He still is, we believe!
God certainly works in mysterious ways!
"Brian Gleeson CP" <bgleesoncp@gmail.com>
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4.
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Year A, B, C: Christmas Night: Midnight mass
"and wrapped him in swaddling clothes".
If the consistent witness of the Gospels is to be
believed, the most momentous event in human history begins
with the idle whim of a public sector bureaucrat in urgent
need of a data point to satisfy his constant anxiety for
administrative exactitude – that addictive need for false
reassurance through arithmetic that is the all too common
characteristic of personally insecure public sector
bureaucrats everywhere. It is a census which requires, for
no good reason, indeed for no stated reason at all, yet at
enormous human cost, every single citizen of the entire
empire – the known "civilized" world, to spend time and
effort returning to his registered hometown in order to get
a tick in a box. How many thousands of people must, like
Joseph and Mary, have had to travel hundreds of miles by
foot to satisfy a bureaucrat’s pitiless search for
administrative order and symmetry – and all in the false
worship of a supposedly greater good. Nothing else matters
if the numbers look good to your line manager. If you have
ever wondered why this world ever really needed a savior,
you may feel no need to look any further than that for your
answer.
So into this world of cruelty, suffering and evil is born
a much predicted child who, it is piously believed, will
live and grow and thrive to become a leader, a King, an
Almighty God in the world who will deliver his people Israel
and they will call his name Emanuel – a name that means "God
is with us".
And so just such a child is born to travelers in the most
abject poverty and in the most dreadful circumstances. The
family is excluded from the inn, stabled in the barn, lying
down with the animals and laid on the hay in the manger. And
wrapped in swaddling clothes. I’ll bet that hardly anyone in
this church knows what swaddling clothes really are. Well,
in the days before obstetrics, incubators, special care baby
units and neonatal intensives, perhaps as many as 10% of all
children died within their first day of life, because they
were so weak, so unable to take care of their most basic
needs that they could not even control their own body
temperature. So, to save them from the cold they were
wrapped in insulating blankets – swaddling clothes. The most
such a child could achieve on his first day was to be an
object of pity, compassion and love. You would not need to
be a Shepherd of a particularly skeptical disposition to
ask,
- "what kind of the savior is this?
- What kind of King is this?
- What kind of Almighty needs swaddling clothes?"
Then I remembered Celia (not her real name) and her story
of the five-hour day and it changed my mind about Jesus
almost as much as it changed my mind about her.
Of all the chaotic, street homeless, used and abused
young women I have ever known, Celia was about as bad as it
gets. She ran away from "Care" at the age of 14 and lived
for the next 13 years, mostly on the streets, or in prison,
sometimes in hostels and sometimes in hospitals. And for
most of that time she was an active injecting drug user,
primarily crack cocaine and heroin, and occupied all her
waking hours in either using drugs, or doing whatever it
took to obtain the money to buy them.
When I first meet her, she is 27 and it is my
responsibility to tell her, on a first meeting, that she is
now pregnant.
It is a shock to the system; she hasn’t been so good with
keeping her dates, but we think she’s about 16 weeks. We
order a scan and the scan says that she is carrying twins.
Like many women do, even after years of chaotic use, she
simply stops using on the day she discovers that she is
pregnant. Doing harm to oneself is one thing; doing it to
one’s child is something entirely different. We help her as
best we can with opiate substitutes such as methadone.
To begin with she does quite well. She is housed in a
bed-sit in Bayswater with "the most useless boyfriend in
North London" (her words, not mine). And she passes into the
care of another GP, the social services and the specialist
maternity drug services. We do not meet again until some
months later when she brings the two new babies on a kind of
triumphal tour down to the surgery. There’s a great deal of
hugging, kissing and general congratulations all round.
But above all there is a nagging question - if not a
sword of Damocles, then at least an elephant in the room.
She is still in the same bed-sit with two babies to look
after, with no family support, the boyfriend long gone, with
the occasional visits of the social worker. She has her
benefit money, no other income and no other visible means of
support. So, however nice you try to be and however nicely
you try to put the question, you eventually have to ask, "My
dear, how are you… errmmm… so to speak… managing?"
To which she answers, without hesitation, some of the
most noble words I’ve ever heard: "Oh! That’s easy. They are
my babies. Yes, it’s a five-hour day, but when I think back
to when I was using, it’s easy."
I have known many mothers of new born children, even some
who had twins. Many mothers who have had to live the
five-hour day of get up, feed baby, toilet baby, wash baby,
sleep - repeated over a five hourly cycle, it seems for
ever. And never before had I heard one describe it as
"easy". But that describes what it is to be a street
homeless intravenous drug addict – a constant five hour day
of Get up, make money, use, sleep.
-
Get up, make
money, use, sleep.
-
Get up, make
money, use, sleep….
-
Repeated
indefinitely.
And so, for me,
Celia will always be my image of a woman who found her place
in the world, her peace with the world, her way of life, her
place in God’s plans. And that is why I think the Lord comes
to us not first with power and pride, to make of himself an
object of worship. I think that is why he comes rather as an
object of pity, compassion and love – a baby born, laid in
the manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes. A King who asks
not what the Christ will do for you, but first what you will
do for the Christ. Because we believe in the mystery of the
Incarnation – that the Presence and Goodness of God in the
World does not come to do something for us; rather he comes
to give us the grace to be something - to be God’s People in
the World.
So that is why
one of my proudest possessions is a photograph of Celia,
taken just last year, of her walking along a beach in
midsummer, somewhere in the North West of England, with her
two boys – dressed for some reason as reindeer.
So I ask you, in
the course of this coming year, whenever you get those
moments when nothing is working, nothing is right, nothing
is hopeful; when you feel useless and valueless in the world
– and never forget that we all have such moments – I ask you
to remember Celia and pray that, whatever may have happened
in the past, and however difficult the circumstances may be
in the present, that you too may be given the grace to bring
Christ into the World to give us all a future.
Let us pray that
this new Incarnation may live not in front of us, not around
us, but within us.
Paul
O'Reilly, SJ.
poreillysj@jesuit.org.uk
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5.
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Volume 2 is for you. Your thoughts, reflections,
and insights on the next Sundays readings can influence the
preaching you hear. Send them to
preacherexchange@att.net. Deadline is
Wednesday Noon. Include your Name, and Email Address.
-- Fr. John Boll, OP
