Christmas 2021 - Jesus is God With Us

 Merry Christmas everyone. On this great feast of Christmas, to help us celebrate the wonder and majesty and mystery Our Lord’s birth, the Church celebrates four different masses: the Christmas Eve Vigil mass, midnight mass, mass at dawn, and Christmas mass during the day. These are not just masses at different times, but each of the four masses have a slightly different focus in the prayers said and in the readings that are offered.

At the Vigil Mass we ponder the angel’s words to St. Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary and the Christ Child growing within her into his home. The prayers of the vigil Mass ask God for the grace to help us “joyfully welcome” Jesus as our Redeemer.

At Midnight Mass we contemplate the radiant glory of God as angels to the shepherds the saviors birth. As shepherds kept watch over their flock throughout the night, midnight mass gathers the Church in the midst of night to the light of Christ, and asks God that the whole of our lives may be filled with the light and gladness and joy of Christmas.

At the Mass at Dawn, the Church accompanies the Shepherds as they go in haste to Bethlehem to visit the infant Savior. At the Mass at Dawn, the Church asks God to bathe us with the radiance of the light of faith, that we may live in a manner which reflects the light of faith.

And finally at Christmas Mass during the Day, the scriptures and prayers come to a dramatic conclusion, in one of the bible’s most profound explanations of the meaning of Christmas in the prologue of St. John’s Gospel—that as the Divine Word took on the flesh of our humanity, the Church asks God to give us everything we need that we may share in his Divinity.

Even with four Masses, the majesty and mystery is so great that the Church celebrates Christmas not just on a day, but throughout over the next several weeks. The world goes back to normal, the Church is just getting started to celebrate the reason for the season.

And when we use that phrase, the “reason for the season”, what are we talking about? When Christians seek to keep Christ in Christmas and remember the reason for the season, we are essentially saying that Christmas not just about tinsel-decorated pine trees, colorful wrapping paper, reindeer, sleighs and elves, but that Christmas is centered in Bethlehem—not the North Pole or the mall or the sports arena.

Wanting to keep Christ in Christmas, prioritizing faith over the material aspects of Christmas, that’s a pretty good start. But who is he? Who are we celebrating? And why?

The eternal Son of God entered the world and was born of a virgin at Bethlehem not simply to establish a major feast day for his church, or to give a gentle nudge to get many of us to return to Church, not simply to provide an opportunity for extended families to get together, not even to initiate an annual season of generosity and giving.

A few years ago, Pope Francis gave a Christmas meditation on this topic at his Christmas morning audience at St. Peter’s in Rome. He said, At Christmas we celebrate that “God is with us… He comes to abide with mankind, he chooses earth as his dwelling place to remain with people and to be found where man passes his days in joy or in sorrow. Therefore, earth is no longer only ‘a valley of tears’; rather, it is the place where God himself has pitched his tent, it is the meeting place of God with man, of God’s solidarity with men.”

“God,” he went on, “willed to share in our human condition to the point of becoming one with us in the Person of Jesus, who is true Man and true God. There is something, however, even more surprising. The presence of God among men did not take place in a perfect, idyllic world but rather in this real world, which is marked by so many things both good and bad, by division, wickedness, poverty, arrogance and war. He chose to live in our history as it is, with all the weight of its limitations and of its tragedies. In doing so, he has demonstrated in an unequalled manner his merciful and truly loving disposition toward the human creature. He is God-with-us. Jesus is God-with-us.”

Then Pope Francis stopped his audience, as he frequently does, to make sure that what he was saying wouldn’t remain just words. “Credete questo, voi?,” he asked in italian. “Do you believe this?”

There was a smattering of “Si’s,” or “yes.” He so he asked again more boldly, “Credete questo, voi?” And you can imagine, there was a much louder response. But that’s a question Pope Francis wants to reverberate around the Christian world, including to all of us here. “Do you believe that Jesus is here with you, in all of your joys and sadness, in your triumphs and disappointments? Do you believe that he has come to meet you in your valleys to raise you up to life eternal?” 

After he asked the crowd whether they believed, Pope Francis led them in a simple act of faith. “Together let us profess,” he said, “Gesù è Dio con noi. Gesù è Dio con noi!” “Jesus is God with us! Jesus is God with us always and forever—with us in history’s suffering and sorrow.” Yes, indeed, Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. In a world where there are so many reasons to forget that God is with us, we need Christmas, the Church needs to boldly proclaim Christmas—that God is with us.

Now, God is with us in many ways. We are able to see his fingerprints in the beauty and intelligent design of creation. We are able to sense him when he gives us strength to do what is right amidst temptations and fears. We are able to experience his closeness and his plan for our lives when we meditate on the Sacred Scriptures. We are able to sense his goodness when we engage in holy acts of charity, when we gather for reverent worship, when we keep the hours of the day holy through prayer. 

But there is one way above all others by which Christ remains with us. Jesus is truly and substantially present for us in his body and blood in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. He instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist that he may be with us, not just in our minds or the sentiments of our hearts, but truly, really, substantially present with his Church for all ages.

The Eucharist is Emmanuel, God-with-us. He is here in every tabernacle of every Catholic church and chapel in the world. And he is made present wherever Holy Mass is celebrated by a validly ordained Catholic priest.  The same God who was in Mary’s womb we receive in our bodies at Holy Communion. The same Jesus whom the wise men traveled such great distances over several months to adore we have the same privilege to worship — and all we have to do is hop in our cars and drive short distances. 

Being able to be with Jesus in the Holy Eucharist is the greatest privilege this side of heaven, when we have the chance to do something that even those present in Bethlehem couldn’t even dream of. They were able to adore the God-man from the outside. But, the Catholic faithful, who have confessed their sins and are in a state of grace are able to receive and adore him on the inside, when we receive Him in Holy Communion.

Holy Communion enables us to know Jesus’ presence with us “in the joys and sorrows” as Holy Father Pope Francis said—throughout all of the challenges of our lives—in dealing with disease, and poverty, and family division. We begin to become sharers in His Divinity, through the Eucharist—and the Divine goodness and strength that flows from Him.

Let every heart prepare him room, we sing, in that great Christmas song, Joy to the World. The heart that has prepared room for him, and worthily receives him in the Eucharist is able to be filled with joy even in the darkest of nights, in prison cells, in hospital rooms, in funeral parlors, on cold and dingy sidewalks. 

If you’ve been away from Church for some time, let tonight be a new beginning. Make a good confession, that you may know again the joy of receiving him. And may all of us profoundly celebrate the true reason for the season, God with us. Lift up your heads, raise and widen the gates of your hearts, that the King of glory may enter, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

December 28 2018 - Holy Innocents - The choice to receive or reject

On Christmas morning, we read from the Prologue of St. John’s Gospel: how the Eternal Word took on the flesh of humanity to enlighten and save the world. John wrote how there were those who received the incarnate Word with faith and Love and there were those who rejected Him.

Those who accepted the Christ Child at Christmas were of course, His blessed Mother, who received the Lord into her loving arms, St. Joseph, who received the Christ Child as a foster son—who vowed to guard, protect, rear, and teach the boy as if he was his own; the shepherds received the Christ Child in adoration, and the magi received the child with wonder and awe and worship.

Today, we heard of how King Herod did not receive the child with love and faith. In fact, he plotted to have the child murdered. And when his original plot failed, Herod ordered the massacre of all the young boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity, in an attempt to eradicate the Christ.

Through the Gospels, each of the evangelists describe the many ways that Jesus was either received in faith or rejected and hated. All those encountering Him had to make a choice to receive or to reject.
The day after Christmas, we celebrated the Feast of Stephen, the first martyr, who made the choice to receive the Lord and to remain faithful unto death for Him. Yesterday, was the feast of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, who, as well, received the Lord with faith and love, and although he was not martyred, he suffered greatly, and served the Lord as a faithful apostle. The Church honors the Holy Innocents massacred by Herod as martyrs, who received the Lord in a baptism by blood—they died for Christ, and God received them into his Kingdom.

In every age there will be Herod’s who reject the Christ, who will not stop at any extreme to safeguard their own personal kingdoms. Many even who attended Mass this Christmas, who heard the Gospel preached, will reject the call to conversion, to receive the Lord with Love and Faith and Worship. Many will not allow themselves to detach from their worldly ways to receive the Lord.

But there are Herod’s and hard-hearts that can be reached, that can be softened to receive the Christ Child through the witness, prayers, and sacrifices of the Church. So we pray for them, and for ourselves, that we may receive the Lord ever more deeply, lovingly, and faithfully, and reject everything that does not come from or lead us to Him, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
 
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That the witness of the Church may help all nations come to believe in the Lordship of Jesus.

That our president and all civil servants will carry out their duties with justice and honesty, and for the reversal of any law which permits or leads to the destruction of innocent human life, and that God may protect all unborn babies, and keep them safe from the scourge of abortion, we pray to the Lord.

For an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life and a strengthening of all marriages in holiness.

For those oppressed by hunger, sickness, addiction, or loneliness, that through the mystery of the Nativity of Christ, they may find relief in both mind and body.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Incline your merciful ear to our prayers, we ask, O Lord, and listen in kindness to the supplications of those who call on you. Through Christ our Lord

Christmas 2018 - Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?

There’s a story about a New York City Police Detective who traveled to Los Angeles one Christmas in the hope of reconciling with his estranged wife. While he was attending her office Christmas party, the office was taken over by terrorists looking to steal $640 million in bonds from the company vault. The terrorists did not anticipate the competence or commitment of Police Detective Lieutenant John McClane, who foils there plans. On Christmas Eve, on a night just like this, John McClane defeated the terrorists, and saved the hostages including his wife, Holly.

Does the plot of this story sound familiar? It’s from the 1988 action film Die Hard starring Bruce Willis. And there has been a debate on the internet these past few years, of whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie, a Christmas story or not.

Well what makes a Christmas story? Compare Die Hard, perhaps, to Christmas Classics like “it’s a Wonderful Life” or Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol.” In A Christmas Carol, the cold, miserly heart of Ebeneezer Scrooge is softened as God intervenes in his life in a surprising way. Through the 3 ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, Scrooge comes to discover the true meaning of Christmas: humility, generosity, empathy for Bob Cratchet and his crippled son Tiny Tim, and a deepened empathy for all mankind.

And In “It’s a Wonderful Life”, George Bailey, depressed and suicidal over his failure to save his community from the machinations of the corrupt local millionaire, comes to rediscover the light of love which makes life worth living, when God intervenes in his life through the Angel Clarence. Through God’s intervention, George Bailey rekindles his commitment to those enduring Christmas values: family, friends, caring for others, seeking the welfare of one’s community.

A Christmas Carol and “It’s a Wonderful Life” are perennial Christmas classics because they echo the original Christmas story so well: God breaking-in to human history 2000 years ago in an unprecedented way, urging us to welcome the Christ-Child to break in to our lives, that we may live a fully human life, reconciled to God and one another. Christmas is the story of God breaking in to the hearts of the Scrooges of our world, to teach them how to love, that will bring about actual human flourishing. And Christmas is the story of God breaking in to the lives of the George Baileys of the world, those who are weighed down by sorrow and injustice and darkness, to teach them that they are loved, to be filled with light once again.

So, is Die Hard a Christmas movie or is it an action movie that takes place on Christmas? Whatever you decide, the question raises a very pertinent truth. There’s a big difference between a true Christmas story, and a story that happens to take place on Christmas. A true Christmas story involves transformation, a handing of one’s life over to something bigger than yourself, allowing God to be your savior.

Now, what about your story? What about the story of your life, which has brought you here tonight, to this beautiful place. Is your life part of the Christmas story of God breaking in to human history in the person of Jesus Christ or does your story just happen to take place on Christmas? For it is entirely possible to have Christmas music, Christmas decorations, Christmas food, Christmas gatherings, without allowing Christ to be in one’s heart.

I can promise you that God doesn’t want to stay on peripheries of your life, he doesn’t just want you to nod in his direction every once in a while. Jesus doesn’t want to be a Christmas decoration, or a relic mentioned in some old Christmas hymn. He wants to live in your heart. He wants the transformation for you, that we see in Ebeneezer Scrooge, in George Bailey, in the dark of night of a Bethlehem stable.

The Christmas gift that God wants for each one of you is the gift of deeper Christian faith: faith that what happened 2000 years ago in Bethlehem can happen in your heart if you allow it. He will fill your mind with knowledge of His Truth, he will fill your eyes and ears with the glory of his Humble Beauty, and he will fill your hearts with the experience of His Goodness, if you allow it. He will break into your life, if you allow it.

On Christmas Eve a few years ago, Pope Benedict wrote, “God is so great that he can become small. God is so powerful that he can make himself vulnerable and come to us as a defenseless child, so that we can love him. God is so good that he can give up his divine splendor and come down to a stable, so that we might find him, so that his goodness might touch us, give itself to us and continue to work through us.” So love Him. Allow yourself to Love Christ more deeply, that you may follow Him more faithfully.

[5:00pm Christmas Eve] In the powerful Gospel reading for Christmas Eve Mass, we hear that the one to be born of Mary is called, Emmanuel which means “God is With Us”. I pray that this Christmas each of you comes to a deeper understanding of what that means. What it means that God wants to be with you, and urges you to take the journey of humility, the journey of self-emptying, that you may be filled with His Life. I hope that tonight is the beginning for all of you of a new story, of allowing Jesus Christ, Savior, to transform your lives, to be more like His, humble and obedient.

 [Midnight Mass] In the powerful Gospel reading for Midnight Mass we hear of the angel challenging the shepherds not to be afraid of God’s intervention in their lives. “Do not Be Afraid” to make the one who is wrapped in swaddling clothes as the Lord of Your Life, that his favor may rest upon you always. “Do not be Afraid” to take the journey of humility, the journey of self-emptying, that you may be filled with His Life. “Do not be afraid” to begin a new chapter tonight, a new story of allowing Jesus Christ, Savior, to transform your lives, to be more like His, humble and obedient.

[Mass in the morning] In the powerful Gospel reading for Christmas morning, we read from the beginning, the Prologue of John’s Gospel in which we hear of the Eternal Word taking on flesh, God breaking in to human history to become man. No doubt, Christmas can be a new beginning for each of you, if you allow that Eternal Word to make his dwelling in your heart more deeply, to manifest the power of the Eternal taking on flesh to save us from our sins.

We gather to celebrate the greatest story ever told: the story of the Eternal and All-powerful God’s humble self-emptying to become a child, in order to save us from our sins and our darkness, when we were completely incapable of saving ourselves.

St. Paul of the Cross said, “Celebrate the feast of Christmas every day, even every moment in the interior temple of your spirit”. Being a Christian is rooted in loving this Child not just once a year, but every minute of every day: worshiping him, surrendering our life to him. 

May we allow God to transform our lives, to deepen our faith, to illuminate our darkness, that our lives may give evidence of His incarnation, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.