Christmas Homily 2011
Christmas Carols
Why do Christmas Carols stir our hearts so deeply? I don’t mean the secular songs like Jingle Bells and Silver Bells, although those are warm and bright too. But carols like O Come All Ye Faithful and Silent Night, Away in A Manger and O Little Town of Bethlehem. On Tuesday I attended the Modesto Symphony’s Christmas Concert at St. Stanislaus. Despite the ban on mentioning God in public, our Symphony Orchestra performed an entire concert witnessing to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” we sang with them. “Glory to the newborn King; peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.” So it seems there is still sin in the world, and we need God after all to be reconciled. I’ve been delighted with our local National Public Radio station. In between newscasts that generally regard Christianity as an embarrassing myth, the good folk in the local station have been playing a fine selection of sacred music these last two weeks. The name of Jesus is constantly on the airwaves. And that is what makes this time of year especially joyful. God is with us, even on NPR.
Life without God is Unbearable
Why, in December, does all the world begin singing songs about Jesus? I think it is because we heard these carols as children, and we believed in them. From our babyhood through our childhood, we believed in the goodness of the world, that our parents loved us, and we lived under friendly skies. These carols bring us back to the joy of our youth. Perhaps, just maybe, we think to ourselves at Christmas, the world is bright and beautiful. As scarred and disappointed as we have become by life’s difficulties, we long to hope that a benevolent God exists after all. We want to regain the trust and innocence of our childhood. Life is too dark—it’s really unbearable—without Christmas; without Christ. We cannot really face a world without God. We all need God.
No Joy without the Baby
God came to us first as a baby in Bethlehem. He came as one who does not judge. He came as babies are: meek, tender, dependent, and trusting. The divine child teaches us to love our littleness. To know God’s love, we must become little, childlike. At our best, we know this is true. We know that trying to control our lives and the lives of others only leads to frustration and despair. If we try to possess Christmas, it slips through our fingers. Think of the attempt to cut Christ out of Christmas—to make it into no more than some kind of winter “holiday.” It’s a commercial attempt to “manage” or “exploit” Christmas. But Christmas without Christ is flat and dull, unsatisfying, superficial, and even ridiculous. Christmas as merely some kind of economic event, a national shopping binge, or an excuse to take some days off work, will badly disappoint us. If the baby is missing, we will have no real joy, only a vague sadness that something crucial is missing.
Every Mass is Christmas
The world cannot live without Christmas, and without Christmas Carols. The year would be unbearably cold and meaningless without Jesus and the December Carols heralding his birth. For Christians, every season holds Christmas joy, and for Catholics, every Sunday brings us the baby Jesus. He comes to us at Mass, as humbly and quietly as he did to Mary and Joseph at Bethlehem. It is not hard to miss his presence in Holy Communion. But for those who have found him, we cannot live without the Mass. Thank you for coming to this Holy Mass to find the baby Jesus. May he bless you and your families every day of the coming year.
Christmas Carols
Why do Christmas Carols stir our hearts so deeply? I don’t mean the secular songs like Jingle Bells and Silver Bells, although those are warm and bright too. But carols like O Come All Ye Faithful and Silent Night, Away in A Manger and O Little Town of Bethlehem. On Tuesday I attended the Modesto Symphony’s Christmas Concert at St. Stanislaus. Despite the ban on mentioning God in public, our Symphony Orchestra performed an entire concert witnessing to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” we sang with them. “Glory to the newborn King; peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.” So it seems there is still sin in the world, and we need God after all to be reconciled. I’ve been delighted with our local National Public Radio station. In between newscasts that generally regard Christianity as an embarrassing myth, the good folk in the local station have been playing a fine selection of sacred music these last two weeks. The name of Jesus is constantly on the airwaves. And that is what makes this time of year especially joyful. God is with us, even on NPR.
Life without God is Unbearable
Why, in December, does all the world begin singing songs about Jesus? I think it is because we heard these carols as children, and we believed in them. From our babyhood through our childhood, we believed in the goodness of the world, that our parents loved us, and we lived under friendly skies. These carols bring us back to the joy of our youth. Perhaps, just maybe, we think to ourselves at Christmas, the world is bright and beautiful. As scarred and disappointed as we have become by life’s difficulties, we long to hope that a benevolent God exists after all. We want to regain the trust and innocence of our childhood. Life is too dark—it’s really unbearable—without Christmas; without Christ. We cannot really face a world without God. We all need God.
No Joy without the Baby
God came to us first as a baby in Bethlehem. He came as one who does not judge. He came as babies are: meek, tender, dependent, and trusting. The divine child teaches us to love our littleness. To know God’s love, we must become little, childlike. At our best, we know this is true. We know that trying to control our lives and the lives of others only leads to frustration and despair. If we try to possess Christmas, it slips through our fingers. Think of the attempt to cut Christ out of Christmas—to make it into no more than some kind of winter “holiday.” It’s a commercial attempt to “manage” or “exploit” Christmas. But Christmas without Christ is flat and dull, unsatisfying, superficial, and even ridiculous. Christmas as merely some kind of economic event, a national shopping binge, or an excuse to take some days off work, will badly disappoint us. If the baby is missing, we will have no real joy, only a vague sadness that something crucial is missing.
Every Mass is Christmas
The world cannot live without Christmas, and without Christmas Carols. The year would be unbearably cold and meaningless without Jesus and the December Carols heralding his birth. For Christians, every season holds Christmas joy, and for Catholics, every Sunday brings us the baby Jesus. He comes to us at Mass, as humbly and quietly as he did to Mary and Joseph at Bethlehem. It is not hard to miss his presence in Holy Communion. But for those who have found him, we cannot live without the Mass. Thank you for coming to this Holy Mass to find the baby Jesus. May he bless you and your families every day of the coming year.
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