topleft05.jpg (18208 bytes)HOMILY
Solemnity of the Incarnation (C)
25 December 09
 


 

All of us at one time or another in our lives have been told that we will not find the secret of true peace and joy in the quantity of possessions we have.  Over the years, spouses have said this.  Parents and siblings have said this.  Teachers and, yes, priests have said this.  The Solemnity we celebrate today tells us once again and reminds us of this fact, that is, if we take just a wee bit of time this Christmas day to contemplate two prominent symbols: the Nativity crèche and the Christmas tree.

The crèche reminds us that Mary and Joseph were not very fortunate in terms having very many material possessions.  The circumstances surrounding the beginning of their married life were not the stuff of fairy tales.  Mary and Joseph also welcomed their first child into the world amidst great hardship and feeling a lot of fear and trepidation.  Yet, despite their relative poverty, the hardships they were confronting , and the weight of those feelings of trepidation and fear, Mary and Joseph were filled with peace and joy.

Using our personal experience as the measure, many of us this Christmas day might be wondering, “How could this be possible?”  After all, when we find ourselves not having everything we want, having to confront difficulties and hardships, and filled with trepidation and fear about what the future might bring, we find ourselves experiencing anything but abiding peace and joy!  Perhaps some, if not many of us feel that way as we came to Mass this Christmas day.

In their poverty and as they confronted their hardships and those feelings of trepidation and fear, Mary and Joseph were filled with abiding peace and joy for three reasons: 1) Mary and Joseph were deeply in love with each other; 2) as a couple, Mary and Joseph helped one other deal with the hardships confronting them; and 3) most importantly, Mary and Joseph were absolutely certain that God was at work in their lives.

So, then, what does the important symbol of the Christmas crèche—of which Mary and Joseph are central figures—have to teach us today?

If our deepest desire is to be filled with abiding joy and peace, we don’t need possessions.  Instead, we need to love and to be loved in the place where it counts most, in our marriages and families.  We need to work with and to assist one another in dealing with the hardships that confront us, our feelings of trepidation and fear, and, most importantly, we need to grow in our awareness of and certainty that God is present and at work in our marriages and families.  Absent these three experiences—notice how none of these are the material things we want so much that so many people believe this is what Christmas is all about—we will never be filled with the abiding peace and joy we desperately need and what Christmas is truly all about.

The second symbol I want to urge all of us to contemplate this Christmas day is the Christmas tree.

I remember once taking a walk with some friends from Tulsa, Oklahoma, through the only rain forest in North America located in the State of Washington.  The individual trees are so close together that they collectively make the forest a very shadowy and sometimes dark place.  Perhaps many of you have had a similar experience.  But, taking a just a wee bit of time to contemplate the Christmas tree here in church or in your home, note how it has been chosen from among all of those other trees in the forest to be bedecked with ornaments, decorations, and lights.  These transfigure what once contributed to the darkness of a forest into a source of great beauty and light, testifying to the Light that has come into the world!

The Christmas tree’s destiny—moving from the darkness of the and becoming a source of great beauty and light in our churches and homes—reminds us of the shepherds who, keeping watch in the darkness of the night, were illuminated by the light of the angels’ message.  As Luke recounts these events:

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.

And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!”

When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.   And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. (2:8-20)
 

Lest any of us get the story incorrectly, when the shepherds saw God’s glory shining around them, they weren’t relieved that God had entered into their lives.  No, that’s the stuff of fanciful imaginations.  Quite the opposite occurred: the shepherds were terrified and had to be told by the angels not to fear God but to trust in them and their message.  The shepherds did so as they put aside their trepidation and fear and then followed the star in the darkness.  Arriving at their divine destination, what did the shepherds find?  God’s only begotten Son, the true Light that has come into the world.  Notice, too, the shepherds didn’t find the answer to their deepest longings among the rich and powerful who were resting comfortably in lavish hotel suites and enjoying room service in Jerusalem.  No, the shepherds found abiding peace and joy in the poverty and simplicity of the lowly manger they found in Bethlehem.

What does the symbol of the Christmas tree have to teach us today?

If our deepest desire is to be filled with abiding joy and peace, we need to listen for God’s messengers—those angels God sends into our lives—who announce where we will find the true Light today.  These angels could be a spouse.  They could be parents or siblings.  And, yes, those angels could even be teachers and priests.  If we do not listen to these angels, we will remain in and contribute our part to the darkness of the world, just like every other tree found in the forest.  But, when we listen carefully, these angels will challenge us to leave behind our comfortable surroundings in the darkness of the forest.  Then, as we follow that Light through and out of the darkness of our comfortable lives where we’ve sunk our roots, we will eventually come to that place where we will see the God who has become human.

Christmas is no fairy tale.  No, Christmas is God’s answer as we search for abiding joy and peace in the middle of our fear and trepidation.  Even if we do not fully understand how it is possible for God to be at work in our lives, the symbols of the Christmas crèche and tree teach us to entrust ourselves God, to seek the joy and peace that possessions can never provide, and to place ourselves at the service of God’s plan with certainty that God is at work in our lives leading us from darkness into light.

This is what it means to be “redeemed”: to enter into the mystery of the Incarnation, to be united to it, and to be transformed by the Light that has come into the world, just as the Mary and Joseph and shepherds did.  It’s much easier to remain in the darkness of the forest than it is to be cut loose by listening to those angels and, then, to venture out into and to be transformed by the Light.  Failing to do so, however, we will never be filled with abiding peace and joy.  We also will never be seen—like the fir tree that has been transformed into a Christmas tree—in all of our spiritual beauty...as we bring light to the world.

For a garden’s variety of reasons, the darkness of fear and sin being the most prominent, many of us have conveniently forgotten that the secret of true peace and joy is found in experiencing God’s love and, then, in making ourselves a gift to others by loving them as God loves us.  As a result, many of us have never experienced our true worth.  We hear this message year after year in the beautiful Christmas carol, “O Holy Night”:

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.

 

As many times as we have heard and sung these lines, have we ever really taken them to heart?

I would urge each of us to take a moment this Christmas day—perhaps after the hustle and bustle of the day’s activities subside in the quite of the evening—to sit down on a comfortable chair or couch and to contemplate these two rich symbols of our faith as well as what they have to teach us about the secret to true peace and joy.  Allow your soul to move beyond the all-too-familiar “sin and error pining,” to feel its true worth, and to be transformed by the miracle of Christmas as you become more certain that God is alive and at work in your life. Then, like Mary and Joseph as well as the seven shepherds, you also will be filled with abiding peace and joy this Christmas day.

 

 

A bit of bible trivia...
 

What are the names of the seven shepherds who visited the manger in Bethlehem?  (The answer is found at the bottom of this webpage.)

 

Then, a brief commercial break...
 

As Catholics, one way to celebrate the Christmas season can also serve as a great catechetical tool.  The popular song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is usually viewed as simply a nonsense song for children with secular origins.  However, some have suggested that it is a song of catechesis , perhaps dating to the 16th century religious wars in England, with hidden references to the basic teachings of the Catholic faith.  As such, the song provided a mnemonic device to teach the catechism to young people. The "true love" mentioned in the song is not an earthly suitor, but refers to God Himself.  The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person who is part of the Catholic faith.  Each of the "days" represents some aspect of the Catholic faith that was important for young people to learn...not only during the Reformation era but today, too!

So, here's how to do this:

Assign each of the 12 days to family members.  Then, each evening as the family gathers for dinner, sing the appropriate verse(s) for the day.  After singing the verse, have the family member assigned to that day describe the symbol and its religious significance.  Praying the devotional for each day reinforces the symbol and its meaning.  As the 12 days continue and the number of catechetical lessons increase, have different family members recall the meaning of each symbol.

(I have borrowed what follows from Dennis Bratcher's website, "The Twelve Days of Christmas.)

(Click on each picture below to go to a devotional for that day)

On the 1st day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Day 1, Christmas Day, December 25

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, whose birthday we celebrate on December 25, the first day of Christmas. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge that feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings, recalling the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered you under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but you would not have it so . . . ." (Luke 13:34)

 

On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Day 2, December 26

Two Turtle Doves

The Old and New Testaments, which together bear witness to God's self-revelation in history and the creation of a people to tell the Story of God to the world.

 

On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Day 3, December 27

Three French Hens

The Three Theological Virtues:  1) Faith, 2) Hope, and 3) Love (1 Corinthians 13:13)

 

On the 4th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Day 4, December 28

Four Calling Birds

The Four Gospels: 1) Matthew, 2) Mark, 3) Luke, and 4) John, which proclaim the Good News of God's reconciliation of the world to Himself in Jesus Christ.

 

On the 5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Day 5, December 29

Five Gold Rings

The first Five Books of the Old Testament, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch:  1) Genesis, 2) Exodus, 3) Leviticus, 4) Numbers, and 5) Deuteronomy, which gives the history of humanity's sinful failure and God's response of grace in the creation of a people to be a light to the world.

 

On the 6th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Day 6, December 30

Six Geese A-Laying

The six days of creation that confesses God as Creator and Sustainer of the world (Genesis 1).

 

On the 7th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Day 7, December 31

Seven Swans A-Swimming

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: 1) prophecy, 2) ministry, 3) teaching, 4) exhortation, 5) giving, 6) leading, and 7) compassion (Romans 12:6-8; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11)

 

On the 8th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Day 8, January 1

Eight Maids A-Milking

The eight Beatitudes: 1) Blessed are the poor in spirit, 2) those who mourn, 3) the meek, 4) those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 5) the merciful, 6) the pure in heart, 7) the peacemakers, 8) those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake. (Matthew 5:3-10)

 

On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Day 9, January 2

Nine Ladies Dancing

The nine Fruit of the Holy Spirit: 1) love, 2) joy, 3) peace, 4) patience, 5) kindness, 6) generosity, 7) faithfulness, 8) gentleness, and 9) self-control.  (Galatians 5:22)

 

On the 10th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Day 10, January 3

Ten Lords A-Leaping

The ten commandments: 1) You shall have no other gods before me; 2) Do not make an idol; 3) Do not take God's name in vain; 4) Remember the Sabbath Day; 5) Honor your father and mother; 6) Do not murder; 7) Do not commit adultery; 8) Do not steal; 9) Do not bear false witness; 10) Do not covet. (Exodus 20:1-17)

 

On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Day 11, January 4

Eleven Pipers Piping

The eleven Faithful Apostles: 1) Simon Peter, 2) Andrew, 3) James, 4) John, 5) Philip, 6) Bartholomew, 7) Matthew, 8) Thomas, 9) James bar Alphaeus, 10) Simon the Zealot, 11) Judas bar James.  (Luke 6:14-16).  The list does not include the twelfth disciple, Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus to the religious leaders and the Romans.

 

On the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me...

Day 12, January 5

Twelve Drummers Drumming

The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles' Creed: 1) I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. 2) I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. 3) He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. 4) He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell [the grave]. 5) On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. 6) He will come again to judge the living and the dead. 7) I believe in the Holy Spirit, 8) the holy catholic Church, 9) the communion of saints, 10) the forgiveness of sins, 11) the resurrection of the body, 12) and life everlasting.

 

Epiphany, January 6

An Epiphany Devotional, January 6

An Epiphany Devotional

 

Participating in this catechetical activity during the Twelve Days of Christmas, the entire family can learn about and recall the basic elements of the Catholic faith.

 

Bible Trivia Answer:

So, then, what are the number of and what are the names of those shepherds?

There were six shepherds: Asher, Zebulun, Justus, Nicodemus, Joseph, Barshabba, and Jose.

They make their appearance in Luke 2, but are identified in the Syrian Book of the Bee written by Bishop Shelemon in the 13th century.

 

 

 

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