The very passing of time and seasons can be for some a way to God: leading them from the wonders of creation to the Creator himself.
This is because the world is perhaps seen at its best in the beauty of the changing
seasons and landscapes,
from spring to winter, from morning to evening, from hot sands of the desert to the
inaccessible white mountain peaks.
For others however, perhaps even for most of us, the cycle of seasons and the ever changing vistas eventually become the source of despair. ‘Every spring will eventually lead to winter’ they would say, ‘every morning leads to the terror of the night’ and ‘every desert stands in the place where there once was lush vegetation and life’.
It is in those hopeless moments that we do not marvel at the miracle of birth of a new person or creature, because why rejoice in birth when it only leads to death? Why rejoice in the world which shows us that generation after generation suffers diseases, wars and famine and eventually passes away? Why marvel at that viscous circle of life and death?
It is especially for those who suffer such dark thoughts that the Nativity of Christ should be a source of true peace as it opens up a new perspective, a new vision, that goes beyond time and space.
On this day Christ is born to us – we pray in liturgy today – On this day has appeared to us a Saviour. On this day angels sing for us, archangels rejoice for us. On this day the righteous exult, saying, Glory to God in the highest.
Christmas is special because it enables us again and again to be happy that Christ was born in time, on that day. And his birth, as the Latin fathers say, has destroyed the vicious circle of godless life.
Godless life is not simply life without a god or without morals and principles.
Godless life is a life without the God who has revealed himself to Abraham and his offspring, and who eventually came to us in the form of a servant: a defenseless baby. Moreover, he came to restore us to himself, because the salvation that he offers is this: to share in the Divine life – with all its richness and depths unfathomed by human mind and heart – in a glorified body. And this is all possible because on that day Christ assumed the human body.
On Christmas day God-is-with-us. On this day he is born in time and for eternity changes time. On this day he paints for us a vista, a new way and purpose: ‘long for me’ he says, ‘so that I may be born in your heart’.
And if he is born in you then you have no need to fear the night and death or suffering for he is with you – and he has conquered them for you. On this day.
The Nativity of the Lord – Vigil Mass By Rev. Ray E. Atwood
– (Readings: Isa. 62: 1-5 • Acts 13:16-17 • Mt. 1:1-25 HPRWEB via CNUA) Purpose: To communicate insight about the Nativity through the story of Guadalupe. Guadalupe changed the course of Mexican and Church history. It led to the eradication of a terrible epidemic (human sacrifice) and the conversion of millions. The Nativity has power to convert souls today. We are called to be open to the mystery of Our Lord’s birth.
Imagine the scene. You are riding a bus along the highway outside Mexico City on December 11, the day before the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. On the sides of the interstate, tens of thousands of Mexican pilgrims, on foot, on bicycles, on the backs of pickups, in vans, are traveling to the same destination, the shrine of Our Lady who, in 1531, appeared to a poor native boy named “Juan Diego.” They have all traveled with clear purpose and heartfelt determination, to pay tribute to the Mother of God, who blessed and blesses their land. More than 2.3 million pilgrims visited the shrine on December 12, out of a nation of some 20 million people. Can you picture yourself among these faithful and devout pilgrims?
The love of these people is evident to any observer. They all come to view the tilma, or the cloak, the visionary had on when Our Lady appeared. A miraculous image of the Virgin Mother was left on the cloak, and it stands in view behind the altar for all to see. When Our Lady came, she delivered a simple message: “I am the Mother of Consolation.” When scientists studied the cloak, they found inexplicable phenomena. The eyes revealed a mirror image of the bishop and the saint, as if it were a photograph of the encounter the visionary had with him. The image also reveals a pregnant woman. Scientists performed tests which revealed within the very image of the woman, the presence of a male child.
The Mother of God came as a pregnant woman to remind the world of the dignity of every human child conceived in his mother’s womb. She came as the mother of consolation to a violent and destructive culture. In 1531, the Aztecs had been sacrificing their brothers and sisters to their pagan gods. Our Lady came to end the barbarism which destroyed that culture. (We also hope she will eliminate the barbarism of our culture). After her miraculous appearance, all human sacrifices ceased when hearts were converted to Christ.
What a message for our time! The Mother of Consolation reminding Americans of her tender love for the poorest and most vulnerable, the young and the old, the sick and the starving. Our Lady loves them all and embraces them tenderly.
Christmas is a time to gaze lovingly on the image of a Baby to remind us of the beauty and worth of every human being. From the moment of natural conception to the moment of natural death, we are loved by God. Christmas reminds us that we are loved by a heavenly Father, who sent his only-begotten Son to deliver the best Christmas present of all, God’s love. Christmas reminds us that we are not orphans. We have a heavenly Father who sent us a divine Brother, whose name is Jesus. Christmas teaches us that we have a mother, too, a heavenly mother whose name is Mary, the Mother of Consolation.
Christ was born in a crude stable, not a comfortable inn. He came in poverty, not luxury. He came among the poor of this world to make them rich in heavenly blessings. Why? Because he loves us. It’s that simple. And because he loves us, he came as one of us. Our loving God wants to come into the stable of our hearts. Christ Jesus wants to come to the deepest parts of our souls, where we sometimes keep dark and dreadful secrets. He wants to come where we keep our resentments, fears, and frustrations. He wants to come where anger and or where our pride lives, where our lust lives. He wants to come into the stable of our souls, where sin lurks like the shadow of a stinking stable.
Mary, in her apparition at Guadalupe, reminds the world: “You have nothing to fear from Jesus. He is consolation. He is healing. He is peace. He is joy. He is love. He is life.” Mary told Juan Diego, the visionary, to pass these words on to us: “My child, my little one, there is nothing that you need be afflicted with, nothing that should disturb your heart. Are you not under my shadow?”
Yes, we are all under Our Lady’s shadow at Christmas. We are reminded that, as Jesus came into a stable, so many centuries ago, so he wants desperately to come into our hearts, too. He wants to come into the United States, to bring about a change of heart, to convert our culture, to reform our lives, so that we see the value and worth of every human person, from womb to tomb.
Take Our Lady’s message into your heart this Christmas, and take Christ into your heart, as well. Welcome him to the stable of your soul, and ask him to transform it into an Inn. Beg him to sweep away the bitterness, the violence, the hatred, the fear, the sin within you. When Mary last saw Juan Diego, she said to him, “Tu mi embajador, muy digno de confianza,” which means, “You are my ambassador, very worthy of my confidence.” You and I are ambassadors. So carry the message to your home, your school, your workplace. Be Mary’s ambassadors, taking the message to a world which desperately needs it.
She is the mother of consolation, because Jesus is the consolation that comes into the darkness of our hearts, and brings light, love, peace, and joy. May we be worthy of her confidence. Amen.
Further reading from the Catechism of the Catholic Church: § 144, 148-49, 721-26, 967, 972. –
HOMILY : The Nativity of the Lord – Mass at Midnight By Rev. Ray E. Atwood)
Purpose: In the Incarnation, God demonstrated his love for humanity. Jesus, the Son of God, took on human flesh, and dwelt among men and women. Christmas is the celebration of the gift of God in Christ Jesus. It is one of the most solemn and beautiful celebrations of the liturgical year. The readings remind us of the awesome power of this gift. Aware of this great gift, the Christian response is to spend our lives in the service of others.
Every family has its Christmas customs and traditions. My family was no different. We would decorate a tree, put up colorful lights, hang garlands, bake sugar cookies, and buy groceries in preparation for Christmas eve. On Christmas eve, we would gather in the early evening for our family celebration. We would eat dinner first. Mom would make a simple meal of tuna salad sandwiches and oyster stew, and we exchanged gifts after helping mom clean up after dinner. We gathered around the Christmas tree, and each of us took our places around a semicircle. The oldest in the family would distribute the gifts. Each person would read the label on his or gift, open it, and show it to the rest of us. Then, we had to say “thank you” for every gift we received.
I thought about this family ritual while reflecting on the Christmas message. It occurred to me that Christmas is a celebration of a great exchange—the exchange of gifts between God and his people. God gives us the gift of his only-begotten Son, and we give him the gift of worship, and lives of service to others.
People spend many weeks, and lots of money, selecting, purchasing, and wrapping gifts for loved ones, friends, co-workers, and others. We do this as a sign of gratitude and love. But we sometimes forget that the greatest gift exchange is not between family members, friends, or co-workers. The greatest gift exchange is between God and the human race. The Scripture readings for Christmas talk about this great gift. St. Luke tells us that the Child Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. The angel declares that “today, in the city of David, a savior has been born, who is Christ and Lord” (Lk. 2:11). God sent the greatest gift of all time, the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ, who saved us from our sins. Jesus grew up in Nazareth. He preached, taught, healed, suffered, died, rose, ascended to Heaven, and sent the Spirit on his apostles. Jesus lives in our midst, teaching, healing, and loving us through the Church.
Unfortunately, we don’t always appreciate the gift he gives. There is a story told about a man who punished his five-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of expensive gold wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he became even more upset when the child pasted the gold paper on a box to put under the Christmas tree. Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift box to her father the next morning, and announced, “This is for you, daddy.” The father was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared up again when he discovered that the box was empty. He yelled, “Don’t you know, young lady, when you give someone a present that there’s supposed to be something inside the package?” The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes, and said, “But daddy, it’s not empty. I blew kisses into it until it was full. It was the best gift I could give you.” The father was crushed. He fell on his knees, put his arms around his little girl, and begged her forgiveness. The little girl was killed in a car accident a few weeks later, and it is said that the father kept that gold box by his bed for the rest of his life. Whenever he was discouraged or faced tough problems, he would open the box, take out an imaginary kiss, and remember the love of the child who put it there.
In a real sense, each of us has been given a special gift from God our Father, not a box of kisses, but a Lord and Savior. God the Father has given us a precious gift. The Father’s gift was not wrapped in gold paper, but wrapped in swaddling clothes; the Father’s gift was not given in an empty box, but was born in a manger; the Father’s gift was not an invisible token of love, but instead a Person whom we could see, hear, and touch. God has given us his Word in the Flesh.
The question is: “What are we going to give him in return? How will we repay him for this great gift?” A true gift exchange takes place between both parties. Of course, we can never fully repay the gift of Jesus. But we can do something in gratitude for the gift of the Savior. We can give the gift of praise at Mass, our time, talent, and treasure to the Church, obedience to God’s commandments, and service to our brothers and sisters. These are precious gifts. As you open and examine your Christmas presents, think about the Father’s gift to you. Think about all he has done for you this year, and reflect on ways you can express your appreciation. Offer him a sacrifice of praise from your heart, and recommit yourself to doing his will. May we express by our lives the gratitude in our hearts for the gift of Jesus the Lord. Mary, Mother of God, pray for us. Merry Christmas. Amen.