Christmas 2003 in St. Moling's Church, Monamolin.

*Wednesday 24^th December***	*Christmas Eve*	*9.00 a.m.*
	*Christmas Night*	*9.00 p.m.*
*Thursday 25^th December*	*Christmas Day*	*8.00 a.m. & 10.30 a.m.*
*Friday 26^th December***	*St. Stephen's Day*	*10.30 a.m.*

*Wednesday 31^st* *December*	*New Year's* *Eve*	*7.30 p.m.*
*Wednesday 1^st January 2004*	*New Year's Day*	*10.30 a.m.*
*Monday 5th January*	*Epiphany Vigil*	*7.30 p.m.*
*Sunday 6th January*	*Epiphany*	*10.30p.m.*

In the current edition of “The Furrow”, a religious magazine published monthly here in Ireland, a number of people give short accounts of what Christmas means to them. I would like to begin my Christmas homily this year with a summary of their views.

An Irish emigrant living in Australia wrote: “… My parents taught me a bit about the importance of Christmas; we would visit the crib often.” She concluded by saying, “this is a very special Christmas for us. The Lord has given us the most precious gift of all, a child within my womb.”

A young man described his first Christmas in a wheelchair. He said, “Sitting there in the chapel, did I feel broken at a time when the Christian message to the world is one of great joy and universal peace? No I didn’t feel broken, I felt relaxed with the divine spirit within me, and at one with my family. Did I feel bitter or resentful this first Christmas wheeling rather than walking? No I had none of these feelings. So at an emotional level this particular Christmas was not any different from any other that preceded it. This is something that may not be readily believable but never the less remains true. The meaning of Christmas for me is unchanged, living through love to experience both joy and peace.

A primary school teacher who retired last July outlined all the things he will miss this year. “Above all I shall miss those infant faces, wide-eyed with anticipation of Santa’s arrival. I shall miss … that special, magical atmosphere pervading the entire school. I shall miss the crib in the corridor, … the clusters of children huddled around it, enchanted by its warm, almost magical glow; the figures: Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and Baby Jesus intriguing their child-like minds. … And I will miss the children’s Christmas cards – the pride and satisfaction on each child’s face as s/he hands me the card.” He concluded, “I know in my heart that Christmas will never be quite the same again.

A woman described what Christmas will be like this year without her brother who died by suicide. “I write from a dark place this Christmas and I can find no peace without him. Jesus, please wake him for us … look at him … he has such a future ahead of him … I promise I will be a better sister … I will never complain again when he smokes inside. … The onslaught of Christmas terrifies me. No one ringing my mobile for advice on what to buy Mam and Dad. Who will sit in his place? … Lord of Life, take our family into the hospital of your heart this Christmas, and heal us in the broken places.”

A prisoner wrote, “Christmas has always been my favourite time of the year. … As far back as I can remember it was a time of happiness and joy in our house. … These last three Christmases have been different, isolated from my fiancée and family, the aloneness of eating Christmas dinner in my cell, having the time and opportunity to think about all that this day means which is much more than filling one’s belly with beautiful food but, saying that, it’s the one day that we look forward to a decent meal most of all. … But for me even in this dark corner of my world there is a special spiritual feeling about these few days. Everybody seems to put their troubles aside and be a little kinder. … Even in here among murderers, rapists and drug dealers, officers and staff there are feelings of empathy. But sure God is right here among us sinners. God I wish every day was like Christmas. Even in this neck of the woods God hates our sin but loves us sinners.”

And finally, an immigrant from Uganda described Christmas in her home country. She said, “…I looked forward to Christmas. My family was very poor; we ate meat and drank milk only at Easter and Christmas. At other times meat was considered a luxury and milk was for children when weaning. Chickens were reared to pay for school fees. You can imagine how much I looked forward to Christmas. … I like that it comes at the end of the year. Sometimes the year can be good or bad, and it is good to have a day like Christmas where you can meet with your relatives and friends and talk about things. At Christmas I thank God for a good year and for being alive. If it’s been bad, I pray for the birth of Jesus to bring a better one.”

We have just listened to six very different accounts of the meaning of Christmas from representatives of emigrants and immigrants, retired and employed, people with disability and ability, prisoners, and those who are bereaved. They have enlightened us on how many people are feeling tonight/today, and how they are celebrating the birth of Jesus this year.

Each one of us could tell our story too. It is worth asking ourselves ‘what would I write if I was asked to give a short account of what Christmas means to me?’ What does the way that I celebrate Christmas tell me about myself? Am I happy or sad, positive or negative, a believer or an unbeliever, generous or selfish? Above all perhaps, we could consider how the celebration of the birth of the Son of God can make us better people. How can we harness the extra goodness and kindness that people tend to have at Christmas so that we can improve our own lives, and the lives of our families and community?

One thing that was common to the six people who described their experience of Christmas for us was a desire to celebrate it. Even those who are sad, or in difficult situations, are hoping for something positive from the birthday of Jesus Christ in 2003. No matter who we are, or what our particular circumstances are, this year, Christmas is worth celebrating. Over fifteen hundred years ago Pope St. Leo the Great made this point in one of his Christmas homilies. He said:

“This is the day our saviour was born: what a joy for us. This is no season for sadness. This is the birthday of Life: life that destroys the fear of death, gives us joy, and promises us eternal life. NOBODY IS AN OUTSIDER TO THIS HAPPINESS. The same cause for joy is common to all, for as the Lord found nobody free from guilt when he came to bring an end to death and to sin, so he came with redemption for all. Let the saint rejoice, for he hastens to his crown; let the sinner be filled with joy, for pardon is offered to him.”

Closer to our own time these same sentiments were expressed in a different way by the poet Patrick Kavanagh in his “Christmas Carol 1942.” He wrote:

Poet and pope agree that we are all equal before God at Christmas. The shepherds and the three wise men came from different backgrounds and continents, but they all made their way to the stable at Bethlehem. All of us, in our happiness or sadness, in our health or sickness, in our success or brokenness have equal access to the child Jesus in the manger at the stable in Bethlehem. We have to decide if we want to make the journey.

The song, which led the shepherds to the stable, was the song of God in their hearts. The wisdom that led the Magi to the birth of Jesus was the wisdom given to them in their minds and hearts by God. They knew that something was alive inside them, and they allowed their relative comfort to be challenged by God, present in a new and exciting way, in the person of His son Jesus Christ. That is what Christmas is and that is why it comes every year. Like the shepherds and the three wise men, we need to visit the stable in Bethlehem so that the human face of God can challenge us to be better people. One way of getting there is to answer truthfully the question, ‘what is the meaning of Christmas for me?’ If we do this annually it will help to keep our celebration of the birth of Jesus fresh, and it will allow us to adapt to the changed circumstances that affect us in any given year.

I am told that the actual road to Bethlehem is seldom clear at the present time. The roadblocks of the military get in the way. Our spiritual journey there is similar. Some days we are drawn to our saviour and a new way of life. And then at other times we have setbacks. We go back to the familiar, our old ways, to the narrowness of life. We need to do our best every day to overcome our weaknesses and failings and live by the guidelines of Jesus, which are challenging, but they offer us the highest standard of human living possible. The guidelines of Jesus, the Christian way of life, are outlined for us in the pages of the gospels. The word of God guided the shepherds and the Magi to Jesus in the Stable at Bethlehem. It can also lead us to God throughout our entire lives, and it can help us to deepen our understanding of the birth of Jesus every year.

The shepherds were rich because they knew they needed to look for God. The Magi were wise, not only because they found their saviour, but also because they set out in the first place. We know that we need God every day of our lives. With little effort we can welcome Him into our hearts and homes, and our community this Christmas. So let us all make the journey to Bethlehem together. When we meet the Child Jesus we can ask him, to ease the pain and sadness in our lives, to strengthen our hope so that we can more easily face the future, and to deepen our love for each other. Then, the Joy that filled the hearts of Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and the Magi, will fill our hearts too, this Christmas and throughout 2004.

Kavanagh, Peter (ed.) Patrick Kavanagh – The complete Poems The Goldsmith Press, Newbridge, 1984

Neary, Donal “Eyes on Bethlehem: The Journey of the Magi”, The Sacred Heart Messenger, January, 2003