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Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas)
December 25, 2011 (year B)
by Genevieve M. McQuade
Isaiah 61:1–2a, 10–11
1 Thessalonians 5:16–24
John 1:6–8, 19–28
Vigil Mass:
Is 62:1-5, Ps 89:4-5, 16-17, 27,29;
Acts 13:16-17, 22-25;
Mt 1:1-25 or 18-25
Mass at Midnight:
Is 9:1-6;
Ps 96:1-3, 11-13; Ti 2:11-14;
Lk 2:1-14
Mass at Dawn:
Is 62:11-12;
Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12; Ti 3:4-7;
Lk 2:15-20
Mass During the Day:
Is 52:7-10; Ps 98:1-6;
Heb 1:1-6; Jn 1:1-18
You’ve heard the jingled bells at stores; the “Gloria in excelsis dei” of church choirs; and the hawking of store wares. “Season’s Greetings!” mixed with “Merry Christmas!”; “I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas,” with “Silent Night.”
Now, store circulars announce: “After-holiday sales!” deciding for us that Christmas is over.
You (over?) bought presents, wrapped, wrote, sent, donated, decorated, cleaned, cooked, opened gifts, worshipped, and got stuffed more than the turkey at the banquets. Whew! It’s been quite the whirlwind and fanfare.
Despite meaningful symbols and wholesome traditions, we have to admit that Christmastime has become swaddled with worldly interpretations and garlands of distorted values. We are dually confronted with the transformative power of the Incarnation dovetailed with worldly, even anti-faith influences.
Christmas is well-known. So familiar, it has become a beautiful if not sentimental backdrop for gift exchange for many. Distortion has gone so far as to water down faith right in the face of the Nativity that initiated the sin-shattering significance of Jesus’ mission.
Even without realizing it, if everything else was magnified in our preparation and celebration, the life-changing power of the Good News was diminished, its proclamation blurred in habits gone awry.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...and” (the stunning headline is crystal clear): “THE WORD BECAME FLESH AND MADE HIS DWELLING AMONG US” (John 1:1, 14).
Humanity’s link to God became a perfect yet earthly reality in Jesus, the “very imprint” of the Father’s being (Hebrews 1:3).
In the Vigil Mass, Isaiah saw the disparity between the felt reality and the promises of God. He wrote that the people thought their land “forsaken” and “desolate.” (Have you thought that about ours?)
Yet, Isaiah continued with hope, calling the land “my delight” and “espoused,” as a new land to be re-established according to God’s plan. This strikes him as so important that he “will not be quiet, until her vindication shines forth like the dawn.”
While yet in the clamor of “the holidays,” we still have a chance to make a superior sound for the Lord, to “not be quiet.”
Psalm 96 from Midnight Mass implores us to “announce his salvation, day after day,” to “tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.” Will you do likewise?
Also from that liturgy, Luke describes the shepherds’ joyful reaction, and from the Mass at Dawn, those shepherds go tell others about it. Will you?
In the Mass During the Day, John’s gospel reveals that “He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him.”
All too often, it is the same today. Why? Do you see what is missing? It’s personal proclamation, just like that of the shepherds’ about what they experienced.
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone” (Mass at Midnight, Isaiah 9:1).
Better than imitation candles on window sills, you can be an incarnate light to dispel the darkness of a disbelieving world.
Liturgically, our Christmas season has just begun! Will you proclaim this magnificent Good News with new gifts? Preach the Good News by means of your words carefully wrapped in authentic Christ-like actions, ribboned around a joyful attitude, presented by loving deeds with a merciful heart.
Merry Christmas!
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Parents often feel inadequate in passing on the faith
by Mary Hood Hart
Recently at my parish, I met with some young families to discuss ways to retain the spiritual side of Christmas in the midst of the secular frenzy so common in our society.
Three themes were woven into the discussion. The first was that at home these parents tried to emphasize the Christmas story over the more secular aspects of the holiday. A few discussed how they focused on the story of St. Nicholas instead of Santa Claus.
A second theme common to all was their emphasis on family. They said that being with extended family for Christmas helped them focus on the love at the center of their celebrations.
Finally, they discussed their families’ efforts to give to others less fortunate.
It was heartening to hear their thoughts on maintaining the spirit of the season. However, one aspect of the discussion was surprising to me. I was disconcerted by how little these parents understood Advent.
They knew that Advent had something to do with candles, but they weren’t sure what the season was all about. These are parents committed to participating in our parish faith formation, which is centered on adult formation. They seemed almost sheepish admitting their lack of understanding of Advent.
When one admitted to not knowing something, others seemed relieved that someone had broken the ice. A discussion of the liturgical cycle seemed brand-new information for most of them.
Working in parish religious education, I’ve come to understand that many parents in their 20s, 30s and 40s have very little intellectual understanding of the faith.
In addition to being unaware of the importance of Advent, this group at my parish confirmed that most couldn’t define the word “Incarnation.”
An adult understanding of the faith has never really been imparted to them. While I have no evidence to prove it, I believe the traditional CCD model failed these parents. They may have sporadically attended classes, but not much can be taught in a traditional CCD model as it’s been offered over the last few decades. That’s why our parish focuses on adult formation.
Even though they have little understanding of the faith, many of these parents have a strong spirituality and are committed to passing along their faith to their children. Of course, it’s hard to share the faith with their children when they themselves feel ill-equipped.
On the one hand, it can be discouraging to recognize how little knowledge of the faith so many of our young Catholic parents have.
But what’s encouraging is that, in spite of inadequate catechetical preparation, they are drawn to the faith, not only for their children but for themselves. The spiritual longing they experience is real, and they are searching for the best way to express it and share it with their children.
I’m convinced that these families must first be shown the holiness already present in their daily lives. They must be encouraged to trust their instincts to seek out a spiritual path, and they must be guided along that path with discussions that relate to the questions they find relevant.
They do not benefit when provided doctrine that seems completely unrelated to their lives. They must also be encouraged to voice even the most basic questions in an environment of acceptance and ease.
What we once took for granted, that every adult Catholic was literate in the faith, can no longer be assumed.
But that’s not a cause for despair. There are parish ministers and others who wish to offer guidance and instruction. They should recognize and respect the inherent dignity of seekers who may be unfamiliar with doctrine but who have a relationship with God and their community and a desire to find a deeper connection to both.
When Christ was born, we’re told that shepherds, not priests or scribes, were among the first to be aware of his presence. Those considered the most lowly and marginalized recognized and worshipped him.
Jesus gave no exams to determine who could follow him. What seemed to matter most to him was what is in the heart, not the head.
This Christmas those of us who are active parishioners will have opportunities to worship with and encounter those who come to church irregularly, who stay on the margins of the faith. How accepting, respectful, and welcoming we are to them may influence how likely they are to come back.
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Making room in the inn
by Barbara Hughes
“Making room in the inn” has been a theme which has run through Advent and into the Christmas season here at the Indian reservation in Topawa.
Since we arrived in November, Mike and I have been busy renovating the convent at the Franciscan mission. At one time the Franciscan sisters ran a vibrant school here for the Tohono O’odham children, but with the declining number of religious vocations, the school met its demise about 15 years ago.
The convent, which is owned by the Indian nation and on loan to the Franciscans as long as they remain here, is now being managed by the friars, who due to lack of personnel, boarded it up. Happily, today the convent is being reinvented as a House of Prayer. As they say, timing is everything.
Within days of our arrival, Father Ignatius asked Mike to help him move beds and other furniture from storage into the convent. A group of seminarians from Our Lady of the Lakes Seminary in Mundelein, Illinois are scheduled to spend 10 days on the reservation in February.
In years past, they stayed on cots set up dormitory style in the one bedroom guest house where Mike and I are currently staying. Obviously, space was an issue.
Then the same day, a member of the Secular Franciscans from Tucson called to see if there was room for them to come for a retreat.
The desert setting offers the perfect environment for prayer and renewal and the convent seemed like the perfect solution. In discussing the possibilities, Brother David Paz, who is guardian at the mission, was cautiously optimistic about bringing the old convent to life, and with good reason.
You can imagine the condition of rooms that have not been used for many years, not to mention window sills needing to be rescued from layers of sand from desert dust storms.
Refusing to be deterred, Brother David and I proceeded to meet with a representative from the Secular Franciscans, who informed us they would like to use the space by the end of January. If it was to be ready in time, Mike and I had our work cut out for us.
For the last few weeks, I have been cleaning, painting and preparing the space to serve as a desert House of Prayer. Mike has been repairing plumbing and put in a new floor in one of the bathrooms after he discovered the old one had rotted. The work has been grueling and by days’ end, muscles that we didn’t know we had, ached. Still, it was a good feeling to know that people would come here to pray and open their hearts to God in an ever deepening way.
As we went through closets and cupboards, we discovered bed linens, towels and even pictures with which to decorate the space to give it a welcoming and homey look. Slowly, it is taking shape and we are beginning to feel hopeful about the future of the old convent.
As we draw near to the end of our stay here, we are excited about the transformation that is taking place, though it has not been without its share of challenges. However, the theme: making room in the inn has not only been about the physical celebration of our stay here.
One of the Native American traditions includes the novena of Las Posadas. Each evening for nine consecutive days leading up to Christmas, members of each village gather for a prayer service and procession during which we pray the Joyful Mysteries of the rosary.
Last night our village processed to the friary where the “Journey Song” was intoned by pilgrims and those playing the innkeepers. After the innkeepers sang the final verse, “We open our doors to God from above. Forgive us our blindness in mercy and love,” all were invited in for a light supper and warm hospitality.
A different person hosts the supper each evening and last night the friars treated the pilgrims to bean soup with hot chocolate for dessert.
Las Posadas is a simple portrayal that reminds us to welcome the stranger in our midst and to see Christ in everyone we meet. But more importantly, we are reminded that opening our hearts to God is a deliberate choice, which we are called to make every day.
During this season, it’s easy to get caught up in all the trappings that accompany Christmas. Though they are good in themselves, there is more to Christ entering human history than caroling, tinsel and even manger scenes. Keeping our hearts open to Christ means being attentive to the mystery of the Incarnation in our world – those wonderful epiphanies that can only be discovered when viewed through the eyes of faith.
When we look around the world there may be times when we wonder, “Who would want to come into such a world?”
But in the silence of that holiest of nights, the answer, “God would” slowly rises from the depths of our heart. And the only response required is that we make room for him in the inn within.
The good news is that even if we missed the opportunity because we were preoccupied before Christmas, it is not too late. Opening our hearts has no statute of limitations. We can open our hearts anytime and when we do, we echo the refrain of the innkeepers in the Journey Song, “We open our doors to God up above. Forgive us our blindness in mercy and love.”
And we can be sure that God will enter in, not because God needs us, but because we need God, and God is always there for us.
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Copyright © 2011 The Catholic Virginian Press. Articles from Catholic News Services, including Fr. Doyle’s column, may not be reproduced due to copyright considerations.
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