A husband was in big trouble when he forgot his wedding anniversary. His wife told him, “tomorrow there better be something in the driveway for me that goes from zero to 200 in 2 seconds flat.” The next morning the wife found a small package in the driveway. She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale. Funeral arrangements for this man are pending!
Now I have to tell you, this little story has nothing to do with the homily! I just wanted to get your attention and give you a little laugh before we moved on to the real subject of the homily!
Take a moment and journey back through the course of 2011 with me. To be sure, it has been a strange year filled with many twists and turns. Some have called it the year of natural disasters. Who could forget the March 11th Earthquake in Japan, the Good Friday tornado in St. Louis, the F5 tornado in Joplin, the 4 million-acre wildfire in Texas, or the devastating floods across the East coast this Fall? Or what about the social unrest across the world with the international economic downturn? Or the so- called “Arab Spring” where massive public demonstrations have divided and even toppled governments, most notably in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Syria, and Yemen. Even in our own nation, we have seen incredible unrest and division in the ongoing quarrels of partisan politicians and the strongly opposing messages of Tea Party and Occupy movements.
Perhaps in 2011, more than ever in recent memory, we have seen the broken and fragile state of our world where so often, evil and senseless tragedy leave us with more questions than answers. Perhaps now, more than ever, we see the incredible need our world has for a savior, for one that will triumph over sin and death, greed and selfishness, sickness and suffering. It is that hunger for justice, that endless thirst for hope that unites each and every one of us present in church tonight (this morning). And not just those gathered here in this place, but every person who will celebrate the birth of the Christ Child in this special season. Christmas reminds a broken world that our future is brighter than our past sins and failures. The Incarnation of Jesus here on earth shows us that we are cared for by the God who can make all things right, who cannot be defeated by evil. Most importantly, this feast evokes a spirit of hope that we no longer have to wait for a Savior. NO! He is born, he has made his dwelling among us and now the “the people who walked in darkness (the darkness of natural disasters, economic downturns, social unrest, and political turmoil) yes, those people have seen a great light! Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone.”
Whatever the burdens you bring with you to this mass, and I know many of you do, please set them before the Christ-Child. He is Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace. Do not let your sufferings or the sufferings of those you love cause you to doubt the care that God has for you. I say this because many people find the evil and brokenness of our world to overwhelming. They wonder why God couldn’t have done things differently. Did he really have to come to the earth as a little helpless baby? Why not as a fierce warrior or crusading judge? If your setbacks or sufferings bring doubt or discouragement into your heart this Christmas, consider the following story for hope.
“Once upon a time there was a man who looked upon Christmas as a lot of humbug. He was a kind and decent person, generous to his family, upright in all his dealings with other men. But he didn’t believe all that stuff about Incarnation which churches proclaim at Christmas. And he was too honest to pretend that he did. “I am truly sorry to distress you,” he told his wife, who was a faithful churchgoer. “But I simply cannot understand this claim that God becomes man. It doesn’t make any sense to me.”
On Christmas Eve his wife and children went to church for the midnight Mass. He did not accompany them. “I’d feel like a hypocrite,” he explained. “I’d rather stay at home. But I’ll wait up for you.” Shortly after his family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window and watched the flurries getting heavier and heavier. “If we must have Christmas,” he thought, “it’s nice to have a white one.” He went back to his chair by the fireside and began to read his newspaper. A few minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound. It was quickly followed by another, then another.
He thought that someone must be throwing snowballs at his living room window. When he went to the front door to investigate, he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the yard. They had been caught in the storm and in a desperate search for shelter had tried to fly through his window. “I can’t let these poor creatures lie there and freeze,” he thought. “But how can I help them?” Then he remembered his barn which could provide a warm shelter.
He put on his coat and walked through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the door wide and turned on a light. But the birds didn’t come in. “Food will lure them in,” he thought. So he hurried back to the house for bread crumbs, which he sprinkled on the snow to make a trail into the barn. To his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs and continued to flop around helplessly in the snow. He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around and waving his arms. They scattered in every direction - except into the warm lighted barn.
“They find me a strange and terrifying creature,” he said to himself, “and I can’t seem to think of any way to let them know they can trust me. If only I could be a bird myself for a few minutes, perhaps I could lead them to safety. . . .”
Just at that moment the church bells began to ring. He stood silent for a while, listening to the bells ringing the glad tidings of Christmas. Then he sank to his knees in the snow. “Now I do understand,” he whispered. “Now I see why You had to do it.” ”
Tonight (today) let us thank God that he loved us enough to become one of us and show us the way to love and peace and joy. May we greet him with gratitude that he has not given up on any one of us nor on this sinful, broken world of ours. Instead he continually offers us tidings of comfort and joy and he chooses to walk with each of us in our journey of faith. May our hearts sing the song of the angels as we celebrate the birth of God as man, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."
