| Readings: | Mass at Night: Isaiah 9:1-6 Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-14 |
| Date: | December 24-25, 2024, Christmas Eve/Day |
Do you hear what I hear?
When you hear the Christmas story year after year, what do you hear?
A parish learned that they were being assigned a new pastor. When they learned who it was, they were very excited because this priest had a reputation of giving wonderful homilies. So at the first mass that he presided at after becoming their new pastor, the church was packed to overflowing. And the newpastor did not disappoint, giving a very interesting, wonderful homily. The following Sunday, the church was almost as packed but the people were surprised that the pastor gave exactly the same homily. And sure enough, on the 3rd week, he again gave the same homily. After mass, the choir selected one of their long time members to go and find out what was happening. So the choir member went into the sacristy where the pastor was straightening up after Mass and she said, "Father that is a very wonderful homily you gave the past few weeks." "I am glad that you liked it.", he replied. The choir member continued, "People were just wondering if you had any other homilies?" The priest answered, "Oh yes many of them." The women said, "They were wondering when we might here those as well." The priest answered her, "Oh, just as soon as I see people doing something in response to this one!"
When we hear this Christmas story, I am sure that we hear a wonderful message that God became human because he loves us and wants us to be able to understand that in human terms. We also hear that God loves us so much that he sent Christ to save us. But what else do we hear?
What do we hear when we hear God waiting for Mary to say yes to the invitation to give a human life to God? What does it mean that God is radically dependent on the yes from this young woman? Mary is the least of the least: a woman in a culture that assigns no value at all to women; in a culture that is on the fringes of the known world, controlled by the powerful Roman Empire? And yet here is God holding God's breath for Mary's answer.
What do we hear when we hear that the savior of the world comes into the world as a tiny, powerless, poor baby, completely dependent on his parents to even survive to the next day?
What do we hear when we hear that the news of this wonderful birth was shared with three magi, wise, educated men rich enough to bring precious gifts at the same time it was shared with the shepherds who were among the poorest people on the margins of Israel's society?
What do we hear, especially if we think of God primarily as a judge who is about punishment and identifying who is a sinner, when we hear that Jesus throughout his life returns love and forgiveness for hate and injury.
What do we hear when we know how this story of tiny defenseless baby born in poverty turns out on Calvary and then on the mountain where he is taken up into heaven?
I suggest that if we really hear this wonderful, joyful, story of God's love and care for us, that in addition to that joy and peace that we hear, we should tremble at what it calls us to.
You see, like that new pastor's homily, this story calls us to respond. The Christ who came into the world to save the world is not just Jesus. Jesus in the head of Christ but those of us who are baptized have been called to be the body of the Christ who comes into the world to save it. This story reminds us that no one is too poor, or too marginalized, or too rich or too privileged that they are not part of God's plan to save the world. Our God loves us so much that God would never do anything, including saving the world, TO us; rather he invites us, he calls us, he has anointed us to save the world WITH us.
I pray that all of us are here today respond as we are called to every week, every year, to celebrate this sacrament of the Eucharist so that we might become more fully the body and blood of Christ, striving to renew our baptismal commissioning to be the incarnation of God's love today, tomorrow and every day out there in the world we live and move in.
I would ask you to say two prayers this Christmas. The first is for all those who work so hard to make our two parishes the effective incarnation of God's love, forgiveness, and salvation here and now. The second is for all those who feel disconnected or distant from our parish community, from our Church, from their baptismal call to be the body of Christ, that they really hear this Christmas story and become inspired to respond to it.
For all of you, I thank you on behalf of Fr. Jeff and all our community for celebrating this feast of Christmas, and I ask God that you continue to experience God's love and forgiveness.
Do you hear what I hear?