Christmas 2011. Our Lady of Grace. 11PM, 9:30AM.
The angel said to
them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of
great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of
Millions and billions of years ago God created the
universe. No one knows exactly how it happened and there are no human
words big enough to tell the story. Some say that there was a big
bang. Others say that they just don’t know. Whatever happened and
however it happened creation is huge and beyond our imagination. Billions
of stars and galaxies came forth from the creative power of God.
At a time known only to God our little earth came to be in
the midst of the bright lights and the deep darkness of outer
space. Like a tiny grain of sand on the seashore of the universe,
planet Earth took its place in the immensity of God’s creation. Because
our earth is so small it could have gotten lost and been forgotten in the
vastness of the universe. But God had his eyes on planet Earth from the
very beginning. God had a very special plan for this very small speck in
the immensity of space. At a moment known only to God human beings were
created in the mysterious way God creates. God said, “let us make men
and women different from all the rest of the things I have created.”
And so it happened. God made men and women to be awake to the world
around them and eager to discover the big universe, and to ask questions about
who made it all.
Men and women are different from all the rest of creation
because they are aware of the universe and not just a part of it. Men and women
were made to be conscious just as God is conscious. God was very happy with the
human beings he had made because for the first time there was someone in the
universe who could look for God and understand God and love God. God made
human beings to know him and to love him – that was new among all the things
that God created.
But then God had an even better idea. Because human
beings were looking for the one who made them, God decided to show himself to
us so that we could know much more about God. As hard as it is to believe
this – God decided to become a human being so that he could be very close to us
and be known and loved even more. An awesome thing happened in
Have you ever been lonely? Have you ever felt
unimportant? Have you ever felt like nobody loves
you? It is easy to feel like you are too young to matter or too old
to matter, or just a teenager. It is easy to feel like you are being
squeezed out by the economy, or at work, or by your friends. When we look
only at ourselves we can become very frustrated, unhappy and even angry.
Life may seem very unfair and we may seem to be too small to handle
things. The miracle of Christmas proclaims that we are never alone. Do you see
what the Church sees this holy day and why Christmas is so awesome?
Said the shepherd boy to the mighty king,
"Do you know what I know?
In your palace warm, mighty king,
Do you know what I know?
A Child, a Child shivers in the cold--
Let us bring him silver and gold,
Let us bring him silver and gold."
When we look at the big picture of the vast universe we may feel small and
alone. Each of us is a little speck on the planet we call earth.
Christmas shouts at us that we are very important to God. “God so
loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Christmas
turns the world upside down. It doesn’t matter that we are small.
We are secure because we know the boss – Yes, God is our creator and our
Father. We are secure because we are the creator’s children. How is
it possible to be lonely or unimportant when we know that we are children of
God?
This Christmas we have a very special gift for every member of our parish
and all of our visitors. It is a book by Matthew Kelly entitled “Rediscover
Catholicism.” Our Catholic faith is a great treasure that guides and
enlightens us on the journey of life. I give you 2000 years of living
Catholic Christian experience this Christmas Day. I can’t think of anything
better that I can give you on Christmas than the rich tradition and heritage
that the Holy Spirit has nurtured in the life of the Church. As you leave
Mass, each family will be given a book by our children, wrapped and decorated
by our children. Read it. Pray with it. I give you the Church for
Christmas. In spite of our sinfulness, Our Catholic Church is a powerful
light for our lives and for the world.
Merry Christmas! May the Lord bless you with his living presence in
the New Year.