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On behalf of the priests, deacons, and staff of Incarnate Word, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! We are so happy to gather together in prayer and praise on this holy night/day and believe that God has a special message for each of you! With that being said, it is no secret that this time of year can be stressful for many people. I am reminded of the story of an older gentlemen from a nearby city in the midwest who called his son in New York with some bad news, “I hate to ruin your day son, but your mother and I are getting a divorce; 50 years of marriage… and I just can’t take it anymore!” “Dad, what are you talking about?” the son yelled. The old man replied. “We’re sick of each other, and I’m sick of talking about it, so call your sister in California and tell her!”. Frantic, the son called his sister, who lost it when she heard the news. “There is no way they’re separating,” she shouted, “I’ll take care of this.” She called her father immediately and sternly told him, “You and mom are staying together. Don’t do anything until I get there. I’m calling my brother back, and we’ll both be there tomorrow. The old man hung up the phone and said to his wife. “Okay”, it’s all set. They’re both coming home for Christmas and paying their own air-fare.”
I had to get the annual cheesy priest-joke in there for this to be a real Christmas homily! What’s no joke is the number of dinners, parties, and gatherings we all attend this festive and busy time of year. One of my favorite small-talk questions to ask or answer is, “are you reading a good book you would recommend?” I recently finished the incredible story of Donald Stratton called All the Gallant Men. Stratton was stationed on the battleship USS Arizona when it was sunk during the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. Of the more than 1500 men assigned to this ship, only 335 survived the catastrophic explosion that destroyed the Arizona after a direct hit set off the ammunition magazine.
Stratton tells how he and 5 of his companions survived the initial blast but were soon in danger from the fires raging in the wreckage and on the surface of the water. There was no escape for them as the deck of the ship grew hotter and the attack continued. They were saved that fateful day by a sailor named Joe George on a smaller ship tied to the Arizona from the previous night. Because of the ongoing attack and the massive fire raging on the battleship, the smaller vessel needed to separate itself to find safer waters. Joe George was ordered to cut all of the mooring lines that connected her to the Arizona. As he was doing so, he saw the 6 sailors stranded on the wreckage, all of them badly burned and crying out for help. Disobeying his commanding officer and unable to ignore their pleas, he stopped cutting the lines and was able to throw a lifeline to Stratton and his mates. One by one, they shimmied across to safety, miraculously avoiding the strafing aircraft, the burning fires beneath them, and the real possibility of a 4-story fall off the rope.
Stratton was forever grateful to Joe George for coming to their rescue. And he marveled at the many brave sailors who ran to their battle stations, put out fires, and rushed around the harbor in smaller boats to rescue as many sailors as possible, ignoring the risks to their own safety.
During that dark day which lives in infamy, there were numerous stories of heroes who ran into the danger, into the carnage everyone else was trying to flee. They did so, not for themselves but in the hopes of saving at least some. Throughout the history of humanity, this same sort of story has been repeated over and over again, especially by soldiers, first responders, and heroes of every type. They run into situations that are dangerous, repulsive, and terrifying; not thinking of themselves but of others.
As we gather for Christmas, we recognize that this is what Jesus did for us. Despite the destruction, horror, and betrayal of our offenses, God rushed into it all to save us. Immediately after our first parents Adam and Eve sinned against God, the Lord started working on a plan to rescue humanity. He was not willing to give up on the human race nor was he repulsed by our sinfulness. Instead, he kept throwing us lifelines, through the law and the prophets. Even as we kept running away from him, he wouldn’t stop trying to save us. In the fulness of time, he sent his Son, Jesus, as savior to defeat sin and death and establish a safe harbor in his Church, where all can find relief and healing from the attacks of evil and the fires of hell. Nothing could turn Jesus from his saving mission; not the attacks of the unrighteous and unbelieving. Not even the terrible suffering and death on the cross could stop his tremendous love. He came that we might have life and have it to the fullest!
As we gather tonight to celebrate Jesus’ arrival as a small baby, we should thank him from the bottom of our hearts. Before Jesus came, we were in worse shape than Stratton and his friends, trapped on the doomed Arizona. We had no way out and we could not save ourselves. But Jesus could and did and he wishes more than anything else, that all would follow him to salvation. He is is not afraid of the messes we make, he can handle the sins we have committed, he can fix what we have broken, he can save what we have lost, he can make all things new! As we enter the Christmas season, cry out to Jesus in joy; this is the reason we sing these happy songs, year after year! If there is something you are tempted to hide from him, if you are ashamed of a sin, a personal weakness, or a terrible mistake from your past, he wants to dive in and save you! He wants only to draw you out of the flames of self-hatred and despair and draw you close to his tender, compassionate heart. Let him love you and save you and bring you home.
Christmas is so much more than a sentimental celebration. It is the moment when everything changed, when God made it clear that no thing and no one could stop him from rescuing his people. May you know the overwhelming, never-ending, relentless love of God, embodied in the gentle glance of the Christ-child! And if you feel trapped by any sin, suffering, or personal darkness, believe that Jesus will never give up on you; he is looking for you now and all you have to do is call out his name. May this be your best Christmas yet, full of love, joy, healing, and peace!
