I welcome and greet you with that time -honored
salutation, Christ is born. During this joyous
Christmas season, the Church, through her hymns
and prayers, proclaims the core doctrine of our
Christian faith. And that is, in one word, the
Incarnation. The Incarnation is the mystery of
the eternal God taking on human nature. Eternal
God taking on our human nature. The mystery and
silence of eternity has been broken. That which
is beyond all human logic. that which is in fact
indescribable, and as we have in the liturgy,
incomprehensible. The infinite God becomes one
of us. It is indeed beyond logic, beyond human
reason. It is one of those great mysteries in
life which we can only accept on the basis of
faith. God comes on earth, steps into the stream
of our history and in the person of the Christ
child. calls us to salvation. Long lay the world
in sin and error pining until he, the Christ
child, appeared and the world felt its worth.
Why? Why does the earth and heaven rejoice? Because
God and man is now reconciled. Listen once again
to the angelic announcement made to the shepherds.
Not to the kings. but to the shepherds. I bring
you glad tidings of great joy, who will be for
all peoples, underline that, for all peoples.
For there is born this day in the city of David
a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And as if to
emphasize this great mystery, the angel appears
to Joseph and Mary and says to them, you shall
call his name Jesus, which means Savior. Each
year, On the Sunday following Christmas, the
church commemorates three members of our Lord's
earthly family. David, the prophet and king,
the apostle James, the brother of our Lord Jesus,
and Joseph. The foster father of our Lord. But
in this season. There is another dimension or
perspective. Which we seldom. Remember or recall.
The church emphasizes. A rather chilling. reality.
That of the cost of following our Lord. Today
we recall the martyrdom of Stephen, the first
deacon who was stoned to death because of his
faith, love, And preaching of Christ. The first
martyr. I had an interesting conversation. With
one of our neighbors. Who said to me. You know
I really enjoy Christmas. It gives me a boost.
But you know what? He says, it goes by too fast.
It goes by too fast and he says, it's a downer.
I wonder how many of us feel that way. The day
after Christmas. We are again confronted with
earthly reality. We're confronted with the same
issues and problems and difficulties and even
disappointments. But the message of Christmas
can never fade. It's always bright. It's always
joyful. It's always relevant. Because the scriptures
tell us that Jesus shall be called Emmanuel,
which means God. Is with us. Understand all ye
people. Understand and repent. For God. Is with
us. Now on the basis of today's reading. Let's
take a brief look. And see how Christmas. Has
affected. The shepherds. The Virgin Mary. And
the wise men. And it comes from St. Luke. Who
tells us. That the shepherds. After hearing.
The angelic choir singing glory to God in the
highest. And on earth peace goodwill toward men.
And after worshiping the Christ child, they returned
to their fields. But there is a profound difference
because we hear them read that they had glorified,
praising God for the things that they had seen
and heard. So there was no downer. They went
back singing and praising God. Although it was
the day after, there was no letdown. Something
profoundly happened that was profoundly wonderful,
life -changing. They went back to their fields
with a song in their heart. With a song in their
heart. For now God was with them. as the angel
told him. Now, as the poet said, the wind blows,
the snow falls, but the love that flows from
the child's crib warms the world. There can be
no letdown. St. Luke tells us also about the
Virgin Mary. How she kept the words of the angels
and how she herself experienced some immaculate
and incredible experience. The scriptures tell
us she pondered. She pondered these blessed things
that she herself experienced. For Mary, there
was no letdown because she pondered all of these
things in her heart. And that's what a wise man,
Listen carefully. After worshipping and presenting
their gifts to the newborn king, the New Testament
tells us they went home another way. They went
home another day, another way. Why? Because what
they had seen and what they had experienced changed
their lives. No one, and let me emphasize this
at the point of being exaggerated, no one who
has ever met Found. And accept Christ. Lives
an old life. No. Motives. Values. Priorities.
Attitudes. Can no longer ever be the same. Because
once you have met. And accepted Christ as your
savior. Life radically changes. We don't see
life. From an earthly perspective. Always from
the dimension. Of the divine. Because Christmas
means. Finding a new and better way to live.
Not to accept what society wants us to believe
and accept. Now let us go another way. God's
way. For God has revealed himself to us. And
revealed himself in the vulnerable Christ child.
But with the words ringing in our ears, I have
come that you may have life and have it more
abundantly. So, my dear people, as we take down
our Christmas decorations, let us be careful
and mindful not to remove Christ. He was not
meant for the attic. not meant for the garage,
but for the living room in your heart throughout
the years. If He, Christ the King, the Everlasting
Father, dwells in our life, then there will be
no letdown. when the song of the angels is stilled,
when the star in the sky is gone, when the wise
men are home, when the shepherds are back with
their flock, then, and only then, does the work
of Christmas begin. Just as some of you on Christmas
Eve had accepted the work of taking care of the
nomads who you fed on Holy Thursday. I admire
you for this. And I give thanks to you. for witnessing
in such a beautiful way. You could have done
something else, but rather you came and served
the needy, the hungry, the lonely, the rejected,
to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed
the hungry, to bring peace. That is our task.
This is what Christ calls us to do and to be.
Christ is born.