John Littleton
Gospel Reflection
Christmas has finally Come. We rejoice that the Word has
become flesh, that God the Son has become human while remaining divine. There
is no more waiting because the Messiah has arrived and now is the time liberation
from our enslavement to sin. But this is n surprising since, in the Hebrew
Scriptures ( Christians call the Old Testament), this arrival had b prophesied
for many centuries before the birth of Christ.
The prophets taught that God would intervene dramatically in
human history, redeeming his people by defeating the power of sin, thereby
bringing an end to oppression and injustice (which are some of the consequences
of sin), and by establishing freedom, peace and happiness. God would send the
Saviour to rescue his people from their long-lasting trials and tribulations.
As a result, the world and human life would never again be the same.
In Isaiah’s words the prophecy was definite: ‘For there is a
child born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and
this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father,
Prince-of-Peace. Wide is his dominion in a peace that has no end’ (Isaiah
9:5-7). This particular prophecy is one of the most important messianic prophecies
in the Hebrew Scriptures.
The prophecy was fulfilled at the Incarnation and the birth
of Jesus. He is the ‘Son of the Most High’ (Luke 1:32) who was destined to be
the Saviour of the world. He is the light that came into the world casting away
the darkness of sin and cancelling human 5trangement from God (see John 1:9).
We are the descendants, both historically and spiritually of
the many generations of people who ‘walked in darkness’ (Isaiah 9:1) for
centuries as they waited and prepared for the Messiah’s arrival. Sadly, we
become lost in spiritual darkness whenever our lives are sinful. Our challenge
at Christmas is to abandon sin and invite the light of Christ to shine in our
lives.
When, with the light of God’s grace, we overcome the
darkness of sin, we are able to contribute to the ending of oppression and
injustice in our world. That is what Jesus meant when, during his public
ministry
thirty years after his birth, he advised his disciples: ‘Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on his righteousness, and all these other things will be given you as well’ (Matthew 6:33). Yet there is much disharmony and violence in our world. This is because countless numbers of people have not accepted Jesus as the Messiah and have not responded to his life- giving and redemptive message.
thirty years after his birth, he advised his disciples: ‘Set your hearts on his kingdom first, and on his righteousness, and all these other things will be given you as well’ (Matthew 6:33). Yet there is much disharmony and violence in our world. This is because countless numbers of people have not accepted Jesus as the Messiah and have not responded to his life- giving and redemptive message.
Christmas is a time for both giving and receiving gifts. The
greatest gift that God gives us is sending his only Son among us to redeem us
from the effects of sin. Christmas celebrates the reality that God is with us
uniquely in and through Jesus Christ.
We are encouraged at Christmas to renew our hope in God
because he has intervened spectacularly in history, particularly by becoming
human, to save us from sin and death. Christmas is about life and light — the
life offered us in Christ and his light which destroys the spiritual darkness
of sin. We rejoice and are glad that he lives among us.
I wonder what I would have heard had I been there that
night. It is a question that annually haunts me. Would I have heard the choirs
of angels singing or simply the sounds of barnyard animals shifting around?
Would I have seen the star in the sky that night or simply two poor and very
frightened kids? Would I have understood the hushed silence of the divine
presence, or simply the chill of a cold east wind. Would I have understood the
message of Emmanuel, God with us, or would the cosmic implications of that
evening have passed me by?
I am convinced that had two people been there that
night in Bethlehem it is quite possible that they could have heard and seen two
entirely different scenes. I believe this because all of life is this way. God
never presents himself in revelation in a manner in which we are forced to
believe. We are always left with an option, for that is God's way. Thus, one
person can say "It is a miracle, while another says "It's
coincidence."
Certainly very few people in Palestine saw and heard
and understood what took place that night. The choirs of angels singing were
drowned out by the haggling and trading going on in the Jerusalem bazaar. There
was a bright star in the sky but the only ones apparently to pay any attention
to it were pagan astrologers from the East. If anyone did see Mary and Joseph
on that most fateful night, they were too preoccupied with their own problems
to offer any assistance...
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Michel de Verteuil
General Comments
This well-known story is very rich so we will focus on some
aspects only, staying with Mary’s perspective, especially in verses 6 to 7, and
16 to 20.
In verses 6 and 7 Luke tells us that Mary gave birth “when
the time came for her to have her child.” Contrary to the popular interpretation,
he indicates no regret that there was no room in the inn. All happened as was
foretold.
To understand the significance of verse 19, it is important
to note that the Greek word which we translate as “things” is rhema, which
means both “word” and “event”. Mary, through her interior attitude of
respectful listening, turns the event into a sacred word.
Homily Notes
Christmas Vigil Mass:
1. The homily today always seems to be
inadequate: the festival is bubbling over with symbols of the season (holly,
ivy, ‘Santa, and what not) and with people’s heightened emotions on the big
day. Moreover, the mystery that one has to speak about is so much more than
anything capable of being put into words that anything actually said seems
paltry and trite. Yet the day still needs a word. l’he day needs to have its
focus drawn to the mind as well as to the senses. And, there may be many there
in the assembly today who will never hear the word from one end of the year to
the other, and to them alone is owed the duty of preaching. The task is to take
the theme of God-with-us and present it in such a way that (1) the homily can
be followed using a framework already familiar to the audience; (2) that seems
appropriately seasonal; and (3) that has a certain lightness suited to holiday
time.
2. Here is a strategy that can produce a short
homily that is easy to follow. The individuals who make up the congregation are
asked to imagine where they stand in the array of people that are mentioned in
the Bethlehem scene.
3. Do you imagine yourself as one of the
people inside the inn?
For this group the birth of Jesus is an irrelevance: it does not touch them and they show no interest. To them it was just an external knock on the door, and they just kept going on with what they were doing. Then as now, this is the majority of people.
For this group the birth of Jesus is an irrelevance: it does not touch them and they show no interest. To them it was just an external knock on the door, and they just kept going on with what they were doing. Then as now, this is the majority of people.
4. Do you place yourself among the shepherds?
Here are people who are open to wonder. They can accept good news. They are people
who are already part of a faith tradition, they shared the practices, hopes,
and fears of the people, but were also ready to respond with faith to the voice
of God.
5. Do you imagine yourself as one of the wise
ones, the kings, who came from the east? These are people who are dedicated to
searching out the great human questions, but they are not just engaged in idle
speculation: they set out and searched for the truth. They listened to the
promptings of conscience; they did not come empty handed. These are dedicated
searchers after the truth and conscientious doers of the good. All their
talents they are placing in the service of God-withus.
6. Do you imagine yourself like Joseph: caring
for the welfare of the church, working in the community, taking on special responsibilities
towards the Word made flesh. He is helping to make the good news known, and
prepared to response to the inner call of vocation.
7. Do you imagine yourself as sharing in the
vocation of Mary? She first brought the Anointed One into the world; but it is
through us that Jesus enters our world.
8. We are all at the birth scene: each of us
is called upon to fulfill all these vocations in varying ways.
Christmas Day Mass
1. The homily today has to be simple, snappy,
and seasonal.
The reason for this is obvious: there are many in the gathering who are not frequent diners at the eucharistic table, and for virtually everyone there are lots of other things going through their minds such as what’s going to happen at lunch, keeping an eye on children with new toys, or how not to get annoyed with the in-laws.
The reason for this is obvious: there are many in the gathering who are not frequent diners at the eucharistic table, and for virtually everyone there are lots of other things going through their minds such as what’s going to happen at lunch, keeping an eye on children with new toys, or how not to get annoyed with the in-laws.
2. So the homily has to have the inclusiveness
of a ‘Thought for the Day’ on the radio, yet adequately identify the Christian
solemnity we are celebrating. One way to do this is to focus on the Christ as
the Prince of Peace.
3. Look at the coming of the Son of God: not
in a show of force but in simplicity and poverty.
4. The majesty of God makes itself felt by
sharing human weakness, limitation and suffering, not by making humans feel
his majesty and power.
5. Fear and threats are marks of human
relations at every level; the message of the angels to the shepherds is peace
on earth, good will to men and women.
6. We celebrate the Prince of Peace. Are we
willing to adopt the way of peace ourselves?
We seek security and justice. Are we brave enough to be peacemakers?
We seek security and justice. Are we brave enough to be peacemakers?
7. We are celebrating God sharing his life
with us in Jesus; we have gathered for the Lord to share his table with us; are
we willing to share our lives and tables and riches with others: for that is
how peace and justice are established?
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Prayer Reflection“Nothing happens before its time.” Trinidadian saying
Lord, we pray for those who are involved in lofty projects and are becoming impatient:
* parish youth leaders who are not getting co-operation;
* a new party that has won no seats in the elections;
* parents who are trying in vain to dialogue with their teenagers.
Help them to remember Mary and how when the time came
For her to have her child she gave birth to a son.
She was agt peace, felt no great concern that there was no room for them in the inn,
Merely wrapped her child in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger.
Lord, these days we are
all very busy.
At work or in school we have to expend much effort to achieve success.
At home we are bombarded with information from television and radio.
We have time only for the sensational
and we allow the ordinary events of life to come and go:
• the signs of maturity in our children;
• the life crises of those close to us;
• new stirrings of resentment or of hope among ordinary people in our country.
Even in our relationship with you we concentrate on the miraculous
and the extraordinary, glorify and praise you
because things turn out exactly as we were told they would.
Mary teaches us on the contrary to see in every event a call to grow,
a sacred word you speak to us,
to be welcomed as a treasure and pondered in our hearts,
reflected on and integrated into our consciousness.
Lord, help us to be more like Mary.
At work or in school we have to expend much effort to achieve success.
At home we are bombarded with information from television and radio.
We have time only for the sensational
and we allow the ordinary events of life to come and go:
• the signs of maturity in our children;
• the life crises of those close to us;
• new stirrings of resentment or of hope among ordinary people in our country.
Even in our relationship with you we concentrate on the miraculous
and the extraordinary, glorify and praise you
because things turn out exactly as we were told they would.
Mary teaches us on the contrary to see in every event a call to grow,
a sacred word you speak to us,
to be welcomed as a treasure and pondered in our hearts,
reflected on and integrated into our consciousness.
Lord, help us to be more like Mary.
“My cell will not be
one of stone or wood, but of self-knowledge.” St Catherine of Siena
Lord, we thank you for all the contemplatives in the world,
those in enclosed convents, and those called, like Mary,
to live in their families and in secular surroundings.
While others chatter and repeat endlessly what they have been told,
these, like Mary, know how to be silent,
treasuring things and pondering them in their hearts.
Lord, we thank you for all the contemplatives in the world,
those in enclosed convents, and those called, like Mary,
to live in their families and in secular surroundings.
While others chatter and repeat endlessly what they have been told,
these, like Mary, know how to be silent,
treasuring things and pondering them in their hearts.
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ILLUSTRATIONS
It was a cold December afternoon. Rain mixed with snow
splashed against the windshield. Overhead dark clouds hovered seemingly just
above the treetops. All day long two men, a pastor named Jerry and a layman
named Jim, had been delivering Christmas boxes. Many of the families who would
receive these boxes would get nothing else for Christmas that year. The pickup
truck had been loaded when the two men started out on their journey but now,
only one box remained. It was covered with an old piece of tarp to protect it
against the rain.
The address on the card meant a drive of several miles
beyond the city limit. "What do you think?" Jim asked. He was the
driver and it was his truck. Pastor Jerry knew what Jim was thinking. Why drive
way out in the country when we could give this last box to someone close by and
be home in thirty minutes? It was a tempting thought. Pastor Jerry had a
Christmas Eve Communion Service scheduled for 8 p.m. and he could use the time
to prepare.
Jim, however, answered his own question, "Well, let's
give it a try. If we can't find the place, we can always come back and give the
box to someone else."
The rain was pouring down by the time they reached the
address on the card. The old white framed house stood on a hillside overlooking
the valley. It had once been an elegant place, the centerpiece of a large farm.
Now, the farm was gone and the house had deteriorated over the years...
________________________
The House of Bread
In the Hebrew, Bethlehem means the house of bread. What a
wonderful poetic description of a dwelling place. I remember frequently coming
home from school and smelling the aroma of baking bread, creating for our
entire family a house of bread. It awakens memories of good food, a warm
kitchen, conversation, fulfillment. Everyone who entered the house gravitated
towards the kitchen for a piece of bread with melting butter and to enjoy that
delicacy in the company of others.
At Bethlehem, at this house of bread, humanity is
irresistibly drawn to share in the good news of God. All things converge there
and our souls find their birth and their nourishment. The entire universe holds
its breath in wonder for it is here and nowhere else that we know our names,
and find our homes.
Susan Hedahl, Places of the Promise, CSS Publishing Inc.
__________________
God Is Interested in Our Life
Jim Moore recently served as senior minister of St.
Luke's in Houston, Texas. At a breakfast with a friend, who is now a sales representative
for a large national company, the friend told Dr. Moore about a recent exchange
with his new sales manager.
It seems Moore's friend was driving his new boss around town
when they happened to pass near the friend's home. This friend asked the new
sales manager if he would like to stop by his house and meet his family. His
wife was baking an apple pie, and his children would be coming in from school.
Would he like to meet them?
"Let's get one thing straight right now," the
manager replied. "I'm not interested in your family. I'm not interested in
your wife or your children. I'm not interested in you personally at all or any
of the circumstances of your life. All I'm interested in are results. All I'm
interested in about you is your sales record!"
The friend told Moore: "That really hurt. I felt as
though someone had slapped me across the face, but you know, I realized
something. I realized that God is the opposite of that! God is interested in my
home and family. God is interested in my wife and children. God does care about
me personally. He is interested in all of the circumstances of my life."
That is the good news of Christmas.
James W. Moore, Christmas Gifts That Always Fit
__________________
The New Age
Every year at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York,
there is displayed, beneath the great Christmas tree, a beautiful eighteenth
century Neapolitan nativity scene. In many ways it is a very familiar scene.
The usual characters are all there: shepherds roused from sleep by the voices
of angels; the exotic wise men from the East seeking, as Auden once put it,
"how to be human now"; Joseph; Mary; the babe -- all are there, each
figure an artistic marvel of wood, clay, and paint. There is, however, something
surprising about this scene, something unexpected here, easily missed by the casual
observer. What is strange here is that the stable, and the shepherds, and the
cradle are set, not in the expected small town of Bethlehem, but among the
ruins of mighty Roman columns. The fragile manger is surrounded by broken and
decaying columns. The artists knew the meaning of this event: The gospel, the
birth of God's new age, was also the death of the old world.
Herods know in their souls what we perhaps have passed over
too lightly: God's presence in the world means finally the end of their own
power. They seek not to preserve the birth of God's new age, but to crush it.
For Herod, the gospel is news too bad to be endured, for Mary, Joseph, and all
the other characters it is news too good to miss.
Adapted from Thomas G. Long, Something Is About To Happen,
CSS Publishing
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I think the Grinch said it best:
And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?"
"It came without ribbons! It came without tags!"
"It came without packages, boxes or bags!"
And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come
from a store."
"Maybe Christmas. . . perhaps. . means a little bit
more!"
Dr. Suess
_____________________
The Christian Gospel in a Nutshell
In Kurt Vonnegut's book, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, Eliot
Rosewater, an eccentric do-gooder, was discussing with his wife the birth of
twins to a half-witted townsperson named Mary Moody. "I'm baptizing them
tomorrow," he says. "I didn't know you -- you did things like
that," Sylvia replied. "I couldn't get out of it," said Eliot.
"She insisted on it, and nobody else would do it. I told her I wasn't a
religious person by any stretch of the imagination. I told her nothing I could
do would count in heaven. But she insisted just the same."
"What will you say?" inquired Sylvia. "Oh --
I don't know. I'll go over to her shack, I guess, sprinkle some water on the
babies and say, 'Hello babies. Welcome to the earth. It's hot in the summer and
cold in the winter. It is round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies,
you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of
babies: Darn it, you've got to be kind.' "
Maybe that's the Christian gospel in a nutshell. God has
been very kind to us, and to live in God's sight means we must be very kind to
each other. If that is not the end of the Christian faith, it may be the
beginning.
Charles H. Bayer, When It Is Dark Enough, CSS Publishing
Company
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Humor: Hanging Lights for Christmas
Hanging lights on a Christmas tree can be most stressful.
Some nice person on the Internet has even made a list of Things Not to Say When
Hanging Lights on the Christmas Tree. Let me read some of them:
8. "Up a little higher. You can reach it. Go on, try."
7. "What on earth do you do to these lights when you put them away every
year? Tie them in knots?"
6. "You've got the whole thing on the tree upside-down. The electric plug thing should be down here at the bottom, not up at the top."
6. "You've got the whole thing on the tree upside-down. The electric plug thing should be down here at the bottom, not up at the top."
5. "I don't care if you have found another two strings,
I'm done!"
4. "You've just wound 'em around and around--I thought we agreed it
shouldn't look like a spiral this year?"3. "Have you been drinking?"
2. "Where's the cat?"
1. And the number one thing not to say when hanging lights
on a tree? "If you're not going to do it right, don't do it at all. Don't
just throw them on, like you do the icicles. You're worse than your
father."
It's not easy getting ready for Christmas. Luke, in his narrative concerning
the coming of Christ quotes the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of
one calling in the desert, `Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths
for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The
crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind
will see God's salvation.'" (NRSV)
King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com
______________
The Inner Galaxy
The story is told of Teddy Roosevelt entertaining guests at
his Sagamore Hill estate on Long Island. After a late dinner he invited his
guests outside to walk beneath the brilliant nighttime sky. After a silent,
reverent stroll Roosevelt said, "I guess we've been humbled enough now.
Let's go inside." And that's what Christmas Eve is all about -- about
stargazing toward the infinite to be humble in our finiteness. So in response
to the angel chorus and the angel announcement, the simple, rustic, stargazing
shepherds said, "Let us go even now into Bethlehem to see this thing that
has happened...." And they went inside the stable, and beheld in the
manger the inner galaxy -- the interior meaning of the universe. And what did
they experience?
For one thing, they experienced
mystery. Luke tells us they returned "glorifying and praising God for all
they had heard and seen...."
1) "Man, you don't mess around when you're
hungry!" Have you heard about the little boy who loved going to
church? He enjoyed the music, the stained glass windows, the homily and the
fellowship. The only part about going to church that the little boy didn't
like, were those long personal prayers which the pastor added to the
intercessory prayers! Then on Christmas, the little boy's parents invited the
pastor home for lunch... and would you believe it, his mom asked the minister
to pray the prayer of thanksgiving before the meal. "Oh, no," thought
the little boy, "We will never get to eat. I am starving and he will pray
forever." But to his surprise, the pastor’s prayer was brief and to the
point. He said, "Oh Lord, bless this home. Bless this food, and use us in
your service, in Jesus name. Amen." The little boy was so astonished by the
pastor’s short prayer that he couldn't help himself. He looked at the pastor
and blurted out what he was thinking: "Man, you don't mess around when
you're hungry!" Well, I don't want to "mess around" on this
Christmas morning because I know that whether we realize it or not... we are
hungry. We are all hungry for God. We are all hungry for our Savior. We are all
hungry for Christmas... because, you see, this is precisely what Christmas is
all about. We need a Savior, we are starved for a Savior, and a Savior is given
in Jesus. In fact, the name "Jesus" means literally "The Lord is
Salvation," or Yahweh Saves, or Savior. Jesus came at Christmas to do for
us what we cannot do for ourselves. He came to save us from our sins.
2) “And all mankind will see God's salvation.” Every
year, the former President Bush and his wife Laura used to send out a Christmas
card with a Bible verse on it. For Christmas 2001, when the country was still
coming to terms with the Sept. 11th attacks, the Bushes decided to choose a
verse that conveyed their faith and hope. They picked this verse from the
Psalms: "I believe I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the
living." (An interview with First Lady Laura Bush by Ellen Levin, Good
Housekeeping, Jan. 2002, pp. 105, 130.) That is the promise of Christmas.
Isaiah put it like this: "Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain
and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways
smooth. And all mankind will see God's salvation.'" That is the hope that
sustains us in good times and bad. We shall see God's salvation. Christ came
because the world needed saving.
3) "We'll all be home for Christmas.” Senator
John McCain spent 5½ years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam in the 1960s. During
that time, he was frequently tortured or held in solitary confinement. He
reports that his lowest point came on Christmas Eve 1969. McCain was giving up
hope of ever getting out of Vietnam alive. To compound his homesickness, the
captors played the song "I'll Be Home for Christmas" over the PA
system. Just then, McCain heard tapping on his cell wall. This was the
communication code the POWs used to communicate with one another. On the other
side of the wall was Ernie Bruce, a Marine who had been imprisoned for four
years already. In spite of his dire situation, Bruce was tapping out,
"We'll all be home for Christmas. God bless America." These simple
words of comfort restored John McCain's hope. ("The tapping on the
wall" by Senator John McCain, Ladies' Home Journal, July 2002, pp.
107-111.) The message of Christmas is always one of hope. This world needs
saving, but God began that process of salvation two thousand years ago with the
birth of a babe in Bethlehem. There's something about Christmas that elevates
us. Christmas is about hope of a better world to come.
4) Kierkegaard has a fable of a king who fell in love
with a maid. A king fell in love with a poor maid. The king wanted to marry
her. When he asked them, "How shall I declare my love?" his
counselors answered, "Your majesty has only to appear in all the glory of
your royal raiments before the maid's humble dwelling, and she will instantly
fall at your feet and be yours." But it was precisely that which troubled
the king. He wanted her glorification, not his. In return for his love he wanted
hers, freely given. Finally, the king realized love's truth, that freedom for
the beloved demanded equality with the beloved. So late one night, after all
the counselors of the palace had retired, he slipped out a side door and
appeared before the maid's cottage dressed as a servant to confess his love for
her. Clearly, the fable is a Christmas story. God chose to express His love for
us humans by becoming one like us. We are called to obey not God's power, but
God's love. God wants not submission to his power, but in return for his love,
our own.
5) Camel on the roof of royal palace: The king of
Balkh (northern Afghanistan) named Ebrahim ibn Adam was wealthy according to
every earthly measure. At the same time, however, he sincerely and restlessly
strove to be wealthy spiritually as well. One night the king was roused from
sleep by a fearful stumping on the roof above his bed. Alarmed, he shouted:
“Who's there?” “A friend,” came the reply from the roof. “I've lost my camel.”
Perturbed by such stupidity, Ebrahim screamed: “You fool! Are you looking for a
camel on the roof?” “You fool!” the voice from the roof answered. “Are you
looking for God in silk clothing, and lying on a golden bed?” The story goes
on, according to Jesuit theologian Walter G. Burghardt, to tell how these
simple words filled the king with such terror that he arose from his sleep to
become a most remarkable saint. Every Christmas Jesus asks the same question to
each one of us: “Where are you looking for Me? In the majestically adorned and
illuminated cathedrals or in the stables of the poor and the needy?” Tonight’s
scripture readings tell us where to look for Christ the Savior.
6) “No Room in the Inn” The Taj Mahal is one of the
most beautiful and costly tombs ever built, but there is something fascinating
about its beginnings. In 1629, when the favorite wife of Indian ruler Shah
Jahan died, he ordered that a magnificent tomb be built as a memorial for her.
The shah placed his wife’s casket in the middle of a parcel of land, and construction
of the temple literally began around it. But several years into the venture,
the Shah’s grief gave way to a passion for the project. One late evening while
he was surveying the sight, he reportedly stumbled over a wooden box in the
dark, and he had some workers to remove it and put it in a common store house.
It was months before he realized that his wife’s casket that had been
carelessly kept in a common store along with useless articles. The original
purpose for the memorial had become lost in the details of construction. [Dr.
James Dobson, Coming Home, Timeless Wisdom for Families, (Tyndale House:
Wheaton, 1998), 122, & “Story of Christless Christmas,” taken from Max
Lucado, The Applause of Heaven, pp. 131-132.] This seemingly unrealistic ancient
legend is a painfully relevant parable of the way some people celebrate
Christmas today. Sometimes we become so involved in the tasks and details of
Christmas that we forget the One we are honoring. Five little words in the
Gospel of Luke say it all: "No Room in the Inn.”
7) The golden rice grains: There is a beautiful poem
by the mystic poet of India, Rabindra Nath Tagore, extolling the reward of
generous giving. It tells the story of a king who regularly visited his people,
passing through the streets in a chariot. One morning as the king was passing
by, a beggar woman who planned to ask him for alms, stood on the road side with
her begging bowl. As the king approached her, however, he descended from his
chariot and stretched out his hand as though he was expecting a gift from the
woman. Excited and surprised, the woman put her hand in the cotton bag on her
shoulder, took out a pinch of rice, and with trembling hands gave it to the
king. The king was well pleased; he smiled at her put her offering in his pocket
and gave her back a pinch of grains from his other pocket. When the woman
returned to her small hut that evening and examined the grains she had gotten
that day, she was surprised to find a few grains of gold in the rice. You can
imagine both her surprise and despair when she realized she should have given
all her rice grains to the king. We are here to offer our gifts to Child Jesus
in the manger as His birthday gift. Let us remember that Jesus does not want
our material gifts as much as He wants our own selves, with all our weakness
and temptations, our merits and demerits. Let our Christmas gift to him be a
heart full of love and a strong and sincere resolution to share it generously
with others.
8) “I want somebody who has skin on." Leonard
Griffith, the outstanding pastor in Toronto, tells the story of a mother who
was putting her little daughter to bed in the midst of a thunderstorm. She told
her daughter that she did not need to be frightened, that God was with her and
her mother and father were close by in the living room. The girl replied to her
mother, "Mommy, but when it thunders this way, I want somebody who has
skin on." This simple, homely story, in essence, is the essential truth of
our text. The invisible spirit of God did clothe himself in skin, flesh, and
blood and came to dwell among us with grace and truth.
9) A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, is all about
Ebenezer Scrooge, the mean banker who hoards all his money, and goes around
saying, "Bah! Humbug!" On Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghosts
of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Future. Then he wakes up on
Christmas morning, and finds out he's been given a second chance. He buys the
biggest turkey for Bob Crachett and Tiny Tim, is reconciled with his family, serves
everyone, and loves everyone for the rest of his life. What makes this such a
great story is that Scrooge wakes up on Christmas and decides to spend his life
consciously loving and serving others, to live every day as if it were
Christmas, loving and serving Christ in everyone.
11) “I wish I could be a brother like that”: Paul
received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas
Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the
shiny new car, admiring it. “Is this your car, Mister?" he asked. Paul
nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was
astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you
nothing? Boy, I wish..." He hesitated. Of course Paul knew what he was
going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what
the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels. "I wish," the
boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."
Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he
added, "Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?" "Oh
yes, I'd love that." After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes
aglow, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?"
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show
his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong
again.
"Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy
asked. He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back,
but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat
him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed
to the car. "There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His
brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And someday
I'm gonna give you one just like it...then you can see for yourself all the
pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you
about."
Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his
car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them
began a memorable holiday ride. That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus
meant when he had said: "It is more blessed to give..." [Dan Clark.
From Chicken Soup for the Soul, (1992), pp. 25-26.]
12) Erik’s Jesus in rags: A Christmas story: (Erik's
Old Man by Nancy Dahlberg. From Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul (1997), pp.
307-309)
It was Sunday, Christmas Day. After the holidays in San
Francisco we were driving back home to Los Angeles. We stopped for lunch in
King City. The restaurant was nearly empty. We were the only family and ours
were the only children. I heard Erik, my one-year-old, squeal with glee.
“Hithere,” the two words he always thought were one. “Hithere” and he pounded
his fat baby hands- whack, whack, whack – on the metal high chair. His face was
alive with excitement, his eyes were wide, gums bared in a toothless grin. He
wriggled and giggled. Then I saw the source of his merriment: an old, dirty
smelly bum in rags. He spoke to Erik: “Hi there, baby. Hi there, big boy, I see
ya, Buster.” My husband and I exchanged a look that was a cross between “What
do we do?” and “Poor devil.”
Our meal came, and the banging and the noise continued. Now
the old bum was shouting across the room and Erik continued to laugh and
answer, “Hithere.” Every call was echoed. Nobody thought it was cute. The guy
was a drunk and a disturbance. I was embarrassed. My husband, Dennis, was
humiliated. Dennis went to pay the check, imploring me to get Erik and meet him
in the parking lot. “Lord, just let me get out of here before he speaks to me
or Erik,” and I bolted for the door. It soon was obvious that both the Lord and
Erik had other plans. As I drew closer to the man on my way out, Erik, with his
eyes riveted on his new friend, leaned over my arm, reaching up with his in a
baby’s "pick-me-up position." In the split-second of balancing my
baby, I came eye-to-eye with the old man. Erik was lunging for him, arms spread
wide. The bum implored me: “Would you let me hold your baby?” There was no need
for me to answer since Erik propelled himself from my arms into those of the
bum. Suddenly a very old man and a very young baby consummated their love
relationship.
Erik laid his tiny head upon the man’s ragged shoulder. The
man’s eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath the lashes. His aged hands,
rough and worn from hard labor, gently cradled and stroked my baby. I stood
awestruck. The old man rocked and cradled Erik in his arms for a moment. Then
he opened his eyes, looked into mine, and said in a firm voice: “You take care
of this baby.” And somehow I managed to say “I will." At last the bum
handed Erik to me. As I held my arms open to receive my baby, the old man said,
“God bless you, Ma’am. You’ve given me my Christmas gift.” I said nothing more
than a muttered “thanks.” With Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. Dennis
wondered why I was crying and holding Erik so tightly. And why I was saying,
“My God, forgive me. Forgive me”
13) Will you take Christ home with you this Christmas?
When a little boy named Davis came to Christmas morning Mass with his parents,
he was surprised to find that baby Jesus was not in the Nativity Set. His
parents immediately went into the sacristy and asked the pastor who had removed
the Baby Jesus. The pastor rushed to the crib only to realize that some
miscreants had stolen the Baby from the manger after the Midnight Mass. Later,
during the morning Mass, the pastor informed the congregation of the theft and
told them that he couldn't understand the motive behind such a callous act.
Then, he asked them to see that the Baby Jesus was returned. The manger,
however, remained empty.
Later that afternoon, depressed and sad, the pastor was walking
through the wintry streets when he saw his neighbor, little Tommy. Shabbily
dressed against the cold, Tommy was proudly walking with a new, bright red
wagon. The pastor knew how much his parents must have scrimped and saved to buy
him the wagon. With a surge of Christmas spirit, the pastor wished Tommy a
Merry Christmas and congratulated him on his beautiful Christmas gift. It was
then that he noticed that Tommy’s new red wagon wasn't empty. The Baby Jesus
stolen from the church lay on a pillow in the wagon. The pastor was
disappointed. He told Tommy that stealing was wrong and that the entire parish
had been hurt by his action. Wiping from his cheeks the flowing penitential
tears, Tommy said, "But, Father, I didn't steal Jesus! It wasn't like that
at all. I've been asking Jesus for a red wagon for Christmas for a long time,
and, you see, I promised Him when I got it, He'd be the first one I took out
for a ride. I kept my promise and now I am on my way to the church to bring
Baby Jesus home!” Each Christmas invites us to take Jesus to our home, because
the only inn where He cares to find shelter is the inn of our hearts. If, like
the pastor in our story, we have misjudged others, we can take Jesus home with
us by asking their forgiveness. If someone has hurt us, we can forgive him or
her. Let’s make this a Christmas of reconciliation, love, peace and joy.
14) O. Henry’s story of sacrificial Christmas sharing:
“Gift of the Magi”: A brief retelling of this old, but touching story is as
follows: It was Christmas Eve, during the days of the Depression of the 1930's.
Della and James, a newly married couple, were very poor. They loved each other
dearly, but money was hard to come by. In fact, as Christmas approached, they
were unhappy because they had no money to buy presents for each other. They had
two possessions that they valued deeply: James had a gold watch which had
belonged to his father, and Della had long and beautiful brown hair. Della knew
that James’ watch had no matching chain--only a worn-out leather strap. A
matching chain would be an ideal gift for her husband, but she lacked the money
to buy it.
As she stood before the mirror, her eyes fell on her long
brown tresses. She was very proud of her beautiful hair, but she knew what she
had to do. She faltered a moment, but nothing could stand in the way of love.
She hastened to the “hair-dealers,” sold her hair for twenty dollars, and went
round shop after shop, hunting for the ideal gift. At last she found it: a
matching chain for her husband’s watch. She was very happy and proud of the
gift. She knew he would love it, the fruit of her sacrifice.
James came in, beaming with love, proud of the gift he had
bought for Della. He knew she would be very happy with the gift. But when he
saw her, his face fell. She thought he was angry at what she had done. She
tried to console him by saying that her hair would grow fast, and soon it would
be as beautiful as before. That is when he gave her his gift. It was an
expensive set of combs, with gem-studded rims. She had always wanted them for
her hair! She was very happy, but with a tinge of sadness. She knew it would be
some time before she could use the precious gift.
Then, with tears in her eyes, she presented him with the
gift she had bought. As he looked at the beautiful chain, he said with a sigh:
“I guess our gifts will have to wait for some time. The combs were very
expensive; I had to sell my watch to buy the combs!” These were the perfect
gifts: gifts of sacrificial love. Both James and Della were very happy for,
like the Magi, they had discovered LOVE through self-sacrifice.
15) Two babies in the manger? In 1994, two Christian
missionaries answered an invitation from the Russian Department of Education to
teach morals and ethics in a large orphanage. About 100 boys and girls who had
been abandoned, abused, and left in the care of a government-run program were
in the orphanage. It was nearing Christmas and the missionaries decided to tell
them the story of Christmas. It would be the first time these children would
hear the story of the birth of Christ. They told the children about Mary and
Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. Finding no room in the inn, the couple went to a
stable, where the Baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger. Throughout the
story, the children and the orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened.
When the story was finished, the missionaries gave the children three small
pieces of cardboard to make a crude manger. Each child was given a small paper
square, cut from yellow napkins that the missionaries had brought with them
since no colored paper was available.
Following instructions, the children tore the paper and
carefully laid strips in the manger for straw. Small squares of flannel, cut
from a worn-out nightgown discarded by a tourist, were used for the baby’s
blanket. A doll-like baby was cut from tan felt which the missionaries had also
brought with them. It was all going smoothly until one of the missionaries sat
down at a table to help a 6 year old boy named Misha. He had finished his
manger. When the missionary looked at the little boy’s manger, she was startled
to see not one, but two babies in the manger. Quickly, she called for the
translator to ask Misha why there were two babies in the manger. Crossing his
arms in front of him and looking at this completed manger scene, Misha began to
repeat the story very seriously. For such a young boy, who had only heard the
Christmas story once, he related the
happenings accurately until he came to the part where Mary
put the Baby Jesus in the manger.
Then Misha started to ad-lib. He made up his own ending. He
said, “And when Maria laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked
me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no mamma and I have no papa, so
I don’t have any place to stay. Then Jesus told me that I could stay with Him.
But I told him I couldn’t, because I didn’t have a gift to give Him like the
shepherds and the magi did. But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much, so I
thought about what I had that maybe I could use for a gift. I thought maybe if
I kept Him warm, that would be a good gift. So I asked Jesus, “If I keep You
warm, will that be a good enough gift?” And Jesus told me, “If you keep Me
warm, that will be the best gift anybody ever gave Me.” “So I got into the manger
and then Jesus looked at me and He told me I could stay with Him – for always.”
As little Misha finished his story, his eyes brimmed full of tears that
splashed down his little cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his head
dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and sobbed. The
little orphan had found Someone Who would never abandon nor abuse him, someone
who would stay with him - FOR ALWAYS. Today we celebrate the great feast of
Jesus the Emmanuel – “God With Us. “
16) Did you see the queen? Remember that nursery rhyme?
"Pussy cat, pussy cat, where have you been?"
"I've been to London to look at the queen." "Pussy cat, pussy cat, what did you there?"
"A frightened a little mouse, under her chair."
The pussycat went to see the queen, but it saw only a mouse. We have come to Christmas to see Jesus coming to our lives as our Lord and personal Savior. But do we see only the lights, the statues in the manger scene and the poinsettias around the altar? We have come to experience the Light of the world shine on us. But do we see only the darkness of our lives and that of the world? God has communicated His love for us and His desire to be with us through the Babe in the manger. Do we get the Message?
17) A Christmas Parable written by Louis Cassels:
“Once upon a time there was a man who looked upon Christmas as a lot of humbug.
He wasn’t a Scrooge. He was a kind and decent person, generous to his family,
upright in all his dealings with other men. But he didn’t believe all that
stuff about Incarnation which churches proclaim at Christmas. And he was too
honest to pretend that he did. “I am truly sorry to distress you,” he told his
wife, who was a faithful churchgoer. “But I simply cannot understand this claim
that God becomes man. It doesn’t make any sense to me.” On Christmas Eve his
wife and children went to church for the midnight service. He declined to
accompany them. “I’d feel like a hypocrite,” he explained. “I’d rather stay at
home. But I’ll wait up for you.”
Shortly after his family drove away in the car, snow began
to fall. He went to the window and watched the flurries getting heavier and
heavier. “If we must have Christmas,” he thought, “it’s nice to have a white
one.” He went back to his chair by the fireside and began to read his
newspaper. A few minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound. It was
quickly followed by another, then another. He thought that someone must be
throwing snowballs at his living room window. When he went to the front door to
investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the storm. They had
been caught in the storm and in a desperate search for shelter had tried to fly
through his window. “I can’t let these poor creatures lie there and freeze,” he
thought. “But how can I help them?” Then he remembered the barn where the
children’s pony was stabled. It would provide a warm shelter.
He put on his coat and galoshes and tramped through the
deepening snow to the barn. He opened the door wide and turned on a light. But
the birds didn’t come in. “Food will lure them in,” he thought. So he hurried
back to the house for bread crumbs, which he sprinkled on the snow to make a
trail into the barn. To his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs and
continued to flop around helplessly in the snow. He tried shooing them into the
barn by walking around and waving his arms. They scattered in every direction -
except into the warm lighted barn. “They find me a strange and terrifying
creature,” he said to himself, “and I can’t seem to think of any way to let
them know they can trust me. If only I could be a bird myself for a few
minutes, perhaps I could lead them to safety. . . .” Just at that moment the
church bells began to ring. He stood silent for a while, listening to the bells
pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. Then he sank to his knees in the snow.
“Now I do understand,” he whispered. “Now I see why You had to do it.” (Quoted
by Fr. Tommy Lane)
18) God has revealed Himself in his Son."
Theologian Karl Barth stood before students and faculty at Princeton in 1963
during his Princeton Lectures. A student asked: "Sir, don't you think that
God has revealed himself in other religions and not only Christianity?"
Barth stunned many who were present when he thundered, "No, God has not revealed
himself in any religion, including Christianity. He has revealed himself in his
Son."
19) Shuttle service to heaven: The brilliant writer,
C. S. Lewis, wrote a thought-provoking book called The Great Divorce. It is not
about the divorce that occurs between husband and wife. It is about the divorce
that occurs between our souls and God. In this book, C. S. Lewis gives us a
picture of Hell as a big city, with all its pressures and problems. In this big
city, the weather is always cold and wet with a heavy rain. The light is always
grey and murky. The people in this city of Hell become more and more aware of
the great divorce that has taken place between their soul and God, and they
sink deeper and deeper into their dismal surroundings. Except ... there is a
way out! There is a way out of this terrible condition! God has provided a
shuttle-bus service from Hell to Heaven: regular bus service. All you need to
do is get on the bus and let the power of God carry you into the light. The
incredible thing about the story is that very few people get on board the
buses, even though they are arriving and departing all the time. The people
find all kinds of excuses for putting the journey off to some vague future time
-- and they miss the opportunity to be carried by the power of God from death
to new life; from the misery of being estranged from God to the joy of being in
union with God. Though we may stand in the darkness of the "great
divorce," the Christmas Promise of God is that He will carry us into the
light if only we are willing to get on the bus.
20) Jesus sells: One never tires of Jesus as a
subject. The cover stories of Time, Newsweek, and US News & World Report
regularly mark His nativity. One reason for featuring Him so often is that
their circulation invariably increases. Born twenty centuries ago, Jesus still
sells. Mel Gibson broke all records with his DVD of The Passion of the Christ.
He sold nine million copies in three weeks at $22 a clip. The first book
published by Pope Benedict XVI is called "Jesus of Nazareth." It
quickly found a home on the Best Seller list of The New York Times. Artists at
their easels struggle to paint His portrait again. Have you seen Andy Warhol's
Nativity? Composers struggle to salute Him with a fresh musical score. Will it
ever be otherwise? I believe not. Tell others of Jesus. But firstly allow Him
to be born in you. He can't be born again, but we can. (Fr. James Gilhooley)
22) “But I did show up”: A story is told of an old
woman who lived all alone. Each year as Christmas drew near she would sigh and
lament her loneliness, wishing that some people would visit her. Since nobody
would visit her, she decided to pray to the baby Jesus and his mother
requesting that they pay her a visit. Finally the baby Jesus appeared to her in
a dream and told her that her prayer had been heard and that the Holy Family
would visit her on Christmas day. Oh, how excited she was! She began cleaning
and polishing everything in her house squeaky clean in preparation for the
divine visitor. She cooked her best dish and baked her best cake in readiness
for the visit of Jesus and his mother. Who knows, maybe if she pleased them
well enough, they might decide to stay on and live with her!
When Christmas day finally arrived her house was squeaky
clean. Everything was in place to give her divine guests a befitting welcome.
She sat by the door and read a book, just to make sure the visitors would not
have to ring the door bell twice before she would open the door and let them
in. It was a cold and rainy day. At about noon she spotted a gypsy couple in
the rain making their way to her house. The man was dirty and disheveled. The
thinly-clad woman was nursing a baby who was crying in the rain. “Why can’t
these gypsies just get a decent job,” she said to herself. Then she screamed at
them, “Turn back, turn back immediately. Come another day if you like. Today, I
am expecting very important visitors.” The gypsy family turned back and left.
The woman continued to wait. She waited all day and no divine visitors showed
up. At sunset she fell asleep on the chair and there in her dream was Jesus.
“Jesus,” she screamed, “how could you disappoint me? You said you were coming
to visit me for Christmas and I waited all day and you never showed up.” “But I
did show up,” replied Jesus. I came with My father and mother in the rain and
you turned us away.”
23) “Your God Is Too Small.” JB Phillips authored a
book entitled Your God Is Too Small. One of the great reasons for Advent is to
celebrate the birth of Jesus and explore the BIGNESS of our GREAT God. The
irony of Christmas is this: the bigness of God can be seen in a tiny baby.
According to Paul in Colossians 1:15-23 this tiny baby is the dynamic,
omniscient, omnipotent creator of the universe!
