Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The angel said, “Do not be afraid. Look, I bring you good news of great joy that will be shared with all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you who is Christ the Lord.”
He is the savior of “all the people,” not just the Christians or the ones in church or the ones who pray, but is the savior of all. This is what gives us hope. The savior that Israel wanted at the time was very different from Christ. He is not a politician or liberator or a philanthropist. He is the one who claims his people back to himself.
St. Francis was very wise in reaching people who had little faith and to do so he made a living manger with real people and animals. It spoke to the people and helped them to see what God had done for them. You heard the gospel (Luke 2: 1-14) many times but it could be that you miss it. There was no room for Jesus in the inn, or room for his parents so they stayed in a cave, with animals. Bethlehem is full of caves in the side of the hills all over the city; you can see them today. He came to his own but his own received him not. The foxes have dens and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head, even as an infant. This child is outside of the realm of what you and I consider powerful and important, but he proves to be the truly powerful one, on whom everything depends.
He was laid in a manger, a place where animals find their food. The one lying there has called himself the true bread that has come down from heaven, the true nourishment for your soul. He is the food that gives us true life, eternal life. The manger becomes a reference to the altar to the table where everyone is invited to receive the Bread of Life. Find some time today and during this season of Christmas that lasts till January 9th to be in front of the crèche, the manger to contemplate this scene, to slow down a bit and become little so that you can sense the mystery of God who became man for you.
Cesar Augustus proclaimed himself a god, Pax Augusti, the peace of August, and an altar still stands to him in Rome today. What he claimed is realized in a loftier way by a defenseless and powerless child, born in a cave and visited by shepherds. The Pax Christi, the peace of Christ surpasses Pax Augusti, heaven surpasses earth. The kingdom proclaimed by Christ is another kind of kingdom and brings peace not just to the Mediterranean area two thousand years ago, but to the depths of man’s heart, of his being, and this opens him to God. The peace of Christ is a peace the world cannot give. Open you ear to the Good News and Christ will give you peace.
This Good News of Christ’s birth is announced to three levels of people. The first are the shepherds who are not well regarded at the time and disdained by the Jews because they leave their families and are with the sheep all night. They are one of the lowest groups of people in society. And secondly, they announce this event to others who receive it with great astonishment and joy. We do not know much about them and what they do with this news but the shepherds are not afraid to speak to others and hopefully you and I will follow their lead.
The third person to hear this good news is Mary. The gospel as it continues from what is proclaimed on Christmas tells us that Mary treasured these things and pondered them in her heart. She hears it and holds fast to it. She is the only one we see later in the adult ministry of Jesus and also present in the Church after Jesus ascends into heaven. She is the good soil that bears an abundance of fruit.
Let us imitate Mary in front of the manger and reflect on what the Lord is doing for us, and let him be born in our hearts this Christmas season. May he bless you and all your loved ones this year!