I love the weeks of Advent that we have leading up to Christmas, a time of waiting and preparation. As a priest, Advent is a super busy season for me. I know that the weeks leading up to Christmas are very busy for all of us, so all the readings and devotions we have during Advent help us prepare for the coming of the Lord. I love the Christmas story from Luke's Gospel that we hear at Christmas Eve Mass, of Joseph and Mary traveling to Bethlehem, of them finding shelter in a humble stable used to house animals, of the shepherds being told of the birth of the Savior by the angel, of the heavenly host proclaiming the birth of Christ by singing “Glory to God in the highest.”
At Christmas time, a lot of us think about the Christmas celebrations we have had in the past, of celebrations with family members who perhaps are no longer with us. During the years, I have celebrated Christmas in a small humble village in Africa, in a rain forest jungle in Ecuador, at a mission on a native reservation in northern Canada, at a soup kitchen in inner city Winnipeg, and at different parishes throughout our Diocese. I even celebrated Christmas on a repurposed Mardi Gras float in the church parking lot of St Jude in Pearl when the pandemic forced us to look at our faith and practice our faith in a new way. We bring our past experiences and our memories of Christmas past to our celebration of Christmas this year.
I mentioned the beautiful nativity story that we hear from the Gospel of Luke each Christmas Eve. Now, on Christmas Day, we hear a different perspective on the Christmas story from the beginning of John’s Gospel, announcing the birth of our Savior with the proclamation of Jesus as the Word of God: the Word who was with God from the beginning, the Word who is God. We think of these extraordinary words as we celebrate the birth of a small baby in the manger in Bethlehem. Through the word, God expresses his very self. God’s word does not just communicate something to us. God’s word is a verb, a word of action. God’s word produces and creates.
Today’s Gospel message brings us light and life. John’s Gospel proclaims Jesus as a light shining in the darkness, that the darkness will not overcome this light, that this is the true light that has come into the world to enlighten us.
Sometimes, in the circumstances of our lives, the darkness can seem overwhelming. We have experienced this in a profound way in the midst of the pandemic these past couple of years, when our reality was turned upside down. Sometimes the light of Christ can seem like a weak flickering light that is barely there. But the light of Christ is there. It will always be there for us. During the weeks of Advent, we sing “O come, o come Emmanuel.” We are told of the prophecy of a baby to be born into the world, the Savior, the Messiah, who will be named Emmanuel: “God with us.” The message of Christmas is that God is with us. He isn't just dwelling far away in the heavens, away from the drama of human life playing out here on earth. God enters the darkest places of the world to be among us. The light of God accompanies us in the darkest moments. That light brings us hope.
I remember how in the midst of this pandemic, a month or two before Christmas, a lady from Texas called me at the chancery office. Her mother had passed away without being anointed. She was wondering if there was any way I could say prayers over her, since the family was in another state and could not be here. I found out that her body was at the mortuary in Rankin county. I was told by the mortuary directors that the pandemic did not allow any visitors, so I could not go inside to anoint her body. I asked them if I would be able to go on their front porch and pray for her there. They said certainly, that I would be very welcome to do that. I called the family and they expressed their gratitude that I would be willing to do that. We all know that life was not easy for us in the midst of the pandemic. But there are still ways we can bring the light of Christ to the dark and difficult moments that confront us in life. The light of Christ can still be there for us if we are creative and if we open our minds and our hearts to the way that light can be present.
Our Christmas message today is a message of love, joy, and hope. Wherever there is darkness in our lives, wherever there is struggle and anxiety, that is the place Christ the light of the world is with us. And Christ's light empowers us to be light ourselves: a light shining in the midst of despair; a light of peace in the midst of discord, intolerance, and violence; a light of joy where there is sadness; a light of courage where there is fear; a light of love where there is hatred. Jesus. light of the world, may we help your light shine.
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