THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD
25 DECEMBER 2022
Our
Scripture readings tell us of those who encountered the mystery of
Christmas: God taking on human
flesh. Joseph obeyed the message
received in a dream and trusted that Mary had conceived through the power of
the Holy Spirit. He obeyed the order of
Caesar Augustus and traveled to Bethlehem with his pregnant wife to be counted
in a census. Shepherds in the area
responded to the message given by the angels and encountered the child born in a stable. Astrologers from the east encountered the
child and gave precious gifts. All of
these original witnesses were profoundly changed by their encounter.
However,
all of them returned to the same unchanged world after their encounter. The Roman emperor continued his work at
managing the world, completely unaware of what had happened in a backwater part
of his empire. Joseph and Mary were
still under the tyrannical rule of King Herod.
The shepherds returned to a society that disregarded them. Considered by the religious leaders of the
day as equivalent with tax collectors and prostitutes, no one would trust their
witness. The magi returned to a solidly
pagan world.
We too encounter
this Mystery as we gather to celebrate the Nativity of the Lord. The Mystery occurred in Bethlehem, which
means “house of bread” in Hebrew. We
encounter his real presence at this Mass, as ordinary bread is transformed into
the Body of Christ, and ordinary wine into his Blood. But like those original witnesses, we return
to the same world unchanged by Christmas.
The dysfunctions in our families remain to cause pain. Our society is still bitterly divided. Despite the presence of the Prince of Peace,
the war in Ukraine rages on, along with violence and bloodshed in our
streets. We might be tempted to ask
ourselves a question. What difference
does Christmas make?
The
shepherds and the magi were profoundly changed by their encounter. We do not know what they did after they left
the manger. But we do know what Joseph
and Mary did. They took the child to the
Temple and listened to Anna and Simeon, who had waited their entire lives to
encounter this child. Joseph obeyed
another message in a dream and took his wife and child as migrants in a foreign
country. We can only presume that Joseph
taught his stepson the trade of carpentry when they returned to Nazareth. Mary stood with her son, even when people
began turning against him. She stood at
the cross as he was cruelly executed.
After her son had been raised from the dead, she joined the apostles in
the upper room for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Because of the Mystery of the Incarnation, Joseph
and Mary faced the realities of daily life with the firm conviction that God
was dwelling in their midst.
The same
can be true of us. We too can be changed
by our encounter with the newborn Christ.
Our encounter reminds us that God continues to dwell in our midst, no
matter what happens in our daily lives.
Confident that the Lord dwells in our midst through the ongoing Mystery
of the Incarnation, we gather here on Sundays to hear the Lord speak to us in
his Word. Throughout this Liturgical
Year, Jesus will invite us to become more intentional disciples, as he invited
the original disciples to follow him. He
feeds us with his real presence in the Eucharist. He sends us forth to conform ourselves to his
person and his message. With his
indwelling, we can be confident that we can make a difference in our world,
despite the many circumstances that will remain completely out of our control. We can also be confident that the Lord has
shared in our humanity, so that we can share in his divinity.
We have
encountered him here. As he sends us
forth, may that encounter transform us to be disciples of hope in a very dark
world. Merry Christmas!
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