Christmas Day
(Lk 2: 15-20)
Christmas may be fulfilling or disillusioning depending on how we respond to the occasion. God provides us a golden opportunity. With the supreme gesture of goodwill, He sends His son to us. What are we going to make of it? In the gospel this morning we find three groups of people all reacting differently to God’s offer. The shepherds hear the favorable news, investigate the claim, and recognize their savior. They represent the people who really do appreciate the value of God’s gift. They are much like us at mass this morning. We know that our Savior has come and we must follow him by letting go of our own troubles to serve others. We will do this for awhile and perhaps make it through New Year’s without becoming overly perturbed. But then, we will be sorely tempted to cuss the old man driving slowly or the young woman speeding between job and family.
The second group we meet in the gospel passage are those whom the shepherds tell of all that they have heard and seen. These people are said to be amazed by what they are told. But this, even in biblical times, means little. Many in the Gospel are amazed by Jesus’ miracles but fail to respond with true discipleship. Their faith has little root like, perhaps, the majority of people celebrating Christmas. They buy and buy, party and party. But somehow the motive behind the celebration gets lost. Is it not telling that on the day after Christmas radio stations stop playing Christmas carols, department store decor changes, and tinseled trees wind up in empty lots? Christ, the prince of peace, the savior of the world, has precious little practical effect on this lot.
The third group in the Gospel story is actually just one person. Mary is said to reflect on the events of Jesus’ birth in her heart. She is the model Christian who not only hears but also meditates on the word of God. In Luke’s gospel she also is pictured as putting that word into action. We find people like Mary running to Elizabeth when the angel tells her that her cousin is pregnant. She gives us a model of how to live out our discipleship of Christ. The young bachelor who teaches catechism even though the majority of catechists are married women with children is acting on God’s word. Also, the elderly woman who on Sundays cooks for her family, listens to the problems of her neighbors, and prepares the monitions and intercessory prayers for Mass clings to God’s word like Mary.
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