St. Luke begins this particular scene: “the shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem.” Of course they did. The angel told them to. They wanted to get to the action. But that is not the whole story. They can’t stay in Bethlehem. They can’t bask in the glorifying and praising. They can’t remain in amazement. No, the scene ends: The shepherds returned — returned to work, returned to their tedious jobs, returned to the humdrum and ordinary. What an apt description of New Year’s Day – this octave day of Christmas. We enjoy the holidays, the celebrations, the time off but we are aware that the rest of life hasn’t gone away. We still have to pay the bills and visit the doctor and hope that the car will start. After the long build-up to the holiday (and it seems to get longer and longer each year) we come crashing back to reality all too soon. We pick up where we left off. The same old troubles and difficulties that were there back on December 24 will be there on January 2.
What difference does Christmas make? How do we make sure that Christmas is more than an escape, a respite, a distraction from the normal rhythm of life? Are we different, is the world different because we have celebrated Christmas? To answer these questions we must act as Mary did in the gospel account: “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.” We will only understand the significance of events of Christmas – the gifts, the family time, the meals, the parties – when we take the time to reflect on them in our heart. We can use the scripture readings to guide that reflection.
In the epistle St. Paul says, “God sent his son, born of a woman … so that we might become, through adoption, truly children of God, and if children then also heirs.” In other words, in Jesus God became part of the human family so that we could become part of God’s family. Well, we know something of being part of a family. Let’s look at family dynamics that we understand from our lives and let that help inform our understanding of being the children of God, of being part of God’s family. The first thing to notice about being part of a family is that parents simply accept who comes. No designer babies here. The child who is born is accepted and loved simply in the act of being born. You don’t have to deserve it or earn it – being my child is enough for any parent. Even when a child messes up and the love becomes tough, love is still present. So with God. As the children of God we are loved from the first moment of our existence. We don’t have to say one prayer or keep one commandment in order to have God’s love. And nothing we can do will change God’s mind about us. Even when we are being chastised, we are being loved.
Another thing about families – they do for one another: cooking, cleaning, shopping, driving, mowing, shoveling, taking out the trash, picking up the mess. A family thrives when everyone makes their own contribution to the good of the whole. It would probably be ideal if we didn’t take other family members for granted, if we showed one another gratitude for what we do for each other. But families don’t do for one another in order to be thanked but simply because that’s what families do. As children of God, God does for us – supplying us with the graces and virtues that we need to live a happy and healthy existence. When we are tired, God gives us strength. When we are in need, God gives us blessing. When we are in doubt, God gives us wisdom. We respond to blessings received by turning to God in prayer and gratitude. Whatsoever we do to the least of our brothers and sisters we are doing for God.
And, if your family is anything like mine, families need to forgive one another. Whenever you have people living in close proximity you have the giving and the taking of wounds. We rub up against each other like grinding stones until all the rough edges are gone. So for a family to survive we must forgive each other. Parents must forgive their children when they mess up. Children must forgive their parents when they impose their expectations on the child instead of helping each child discover its own path. Spouses must forgive each other for not being the ideal individuals they hoped they would marry. So with God – we rely on God’s forgiveness when we sin, when we mess up. AND, I think it is not inappropriate to say we need to forgive God – forgive God for creating a world where innocent suffering exists, where it is hard to follow the right path even when you want to. Forgiveness is key to both human and divine family life.
The list could go on. Like Mary, we need to continue to ponder in our hearts what it means to be children of God, heirs to the promise. As we begin this new year let us resolve to become who we are, made in God’s image and likeness, precious in God’s sight.
