Fr. Gerard Kelly
The day has finally arrived! For all of our planning for Christmas and
preparation for its celebration, the time has now come. This is the day to celebrate. It is no longer just a list of things to do,
or anxiety that all will work out well.
It is here and we are celebrating it.
The account of Jesus’ birth as we heard
it in St Luke’s gospel also has this sense that the time has finally
arrived. After generations of waiting
for the Messiah, something has happened.
Luke is quite particular about the details of how Jesus came to be
born. He locates it at a particular
time, when a major census was being taken.
He locates it at a particular place, Bethlehem. Today we celebrate that moment, that
event. Something happened long ago, back
then. Today we remember it.
As we hear the story of those events,
like generations before us, we are fascinated to know their full meaning. After all, this Jesus who was born went on to
shape the course of world history. His
birth was a religious event like no other.
He is called Emmanuel, which means God is with us; he is called the
Saviour. His birth leads to an
outpouring of praise of God. Another way
of saying this is to speak of God entering into human history. God takes on human flesh like ours, a human
nature like ours. This is what makes
Christianity unique: our God has visited us.
No other religion speaks this way.
Christmas points to the great gift God has given to the whole of
creation.
If this is how God has acted, we will
want to know how this gift was received.
The Christmas story tells us this.
We all know those famous words, “there was no room in the inn”. Because there was no place for Mary and
Joseph to lodge, they were forced to find a shed on the fringes of the town. Think of the meaning of this. God enters the world on the margins rather
than at the centres of power. I wonder what
things might have been like if God had entered the world at the centres of
power. Might not the people there have
thought that they could manipulate God for their own ends? And in the end, might this gift of God among
us have remained un-received in the world?
In fact, throughout history many have tried to manipulate God. They claim God for their cause, and create
God in their own image. But Jesus was
born on the margins, and from there God offers a precious gift to all
people. Jesus is this gift. As one who is truly human, he is for us a
model of authentic human living. As one
who is truly God, he foreshadows the divine life in each of us. As St John puts it in his letter, “we shall
be like him because we will see him as he truly is.”
Being born outside the town, Jesus was
first revealed to the shepherds. This
first revelation of Jesus marks the beginning of a pattern that will unfold
during his ministry. He reaches out to
the lowly, and the poor. He encounters
human misery, human frailty and weakness.
His actions will bring out the best in people. He will lift them up so that they can live with
all of the dignity that comes from being the sons and daughters of God. The shepherds are the first ones to receive
this gift of God. Look at how this
happens. They search out this child they
have heard about, and then they tell of his birth to others, astounding them with
this news. This too will become a
pattern for Christian living. The
spiritual life of the believer entails seeking out our God who comes to visit
us. It involves seeking him out in the
midst of shepherds’ fields, as it were.
In other words, seeking him out where we live our lives, and not in some
imaginary world where we would like to live.
In the fields where the shepherds were
– in this ordinary place – the angels of heaven sang their praise, “Glory to
God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he
favours”. They re-affirmed what we have
already learnt about the birth of this child.
Heaven and earth meet; the world is beginning to be transformed. Their message is one of peace – peace for the
whole of creation. This peace is not
just an end to violence – and wouldn’t that be a wonderful gift in so many
parts of the world and even on our own inner-city streets! This is a peace that takes root deep in the
human heart. For each of us, it is a
peace that springs from right relations with God and hence a deep sense of
contentment with who we are. Only a
peace that is deep-seated in the human heart will provide the foundation for
the peace promised to the world by the choirs of angels.
Yes, the day has finally arrived. Christmas is here. Today we remember and celebrate what God has
already done in the world at the birth of Jesus. Today we receive a remarkable gift from
God. God’s gift is never exhausted. May the peace we experience this Christmas
sustain our faith and hope that Jesus is truly our Saviour, the Saviour of the
world.
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