Dec. 25, 2020: Christmas B
Click: Audio Homily
Click: "O Holy Night" sung by Fr. Paul Yi
It was near Christmas time, and a young entrepreneur named Rick was stressing out over the holiday business orders. His business was doing very well, and he was spending extra hours in the evenings at work. He was married and had a 3 year old daughter, but he barely had any time for his family. An elderly neighbor stopped Rick on his way to work one morning as he was trying to get into his car. The lady was widowed; her only child died from a tragedy when she was only 3 years old, and so the widow was fond of Rick’s young daughter as if she was her own. She asked, “Rick, have you ever wondered what the first Christmas gift was?” Rick was a bit annoyed by this question, and he hurriedly answered with a feigned smile, “No, I haven’t given much thought. Probably gold, frankincense, or myrrh? I’m sorry, maybe later in the week, I can look up my bible and give you a better answer.” The widow replied, “Rick, this is not a trivial question. Understanding the first gift of Christmas is important because you don’t know what is important right now.”
What do you think was the first Christmas gift? The earliest memory of my first Christmas was staying up at night, pretending to be sleeping and peeking out into the hallway occasionally to see if Santa made it into our house. In a child’s imagination, the gift of Christmas is what is inside the wrapped presents. A spiritual writer reflected about what Christmas gifts meant for her. She wrote, “Jesus, since everyone today is exchanging gifts, allow us to make a gift to you: we want to give back to you, in our own way, the joy of your returning once more to the world. For us it is not enough to have Christmas merely as a time of rejoicing. We want it to become a reality—a divine reality.”
What is the divine reality hidden in this new-born child, the weakest of creatures, the son of a girl of fifteen, and who gazes out at us with his arms wide open as if to show us that he desires to embrace us? For God so loved His children that He sent His son, that we might someday return to Him. The first gift of Christmas was the greatest gift of all—the gift of Jesus who is Love itself. Jesus was willing to come right into the heart of our world and be born in a stable. He came because he loved the Father and us. The Son of God found home in Mary and Joseph because they said “yes” to receiving this gift of divine Love.
A priest once wrote, “What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything…” Why you wake up in the morning, what you’ll do throughout the day, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude are all decided by what you’re in love with. Therefore, nothing is more practical than finding God and falling in love with God.
Why did a young unmarried girl say yes to carrying, loving, and giving birth to a child who is not of her betrothed? Why did an engaged man so in love with his fiancé not react in anger and divorce his betrothed who was pregnant with a child that was not his own? Why did three men of well-to-do and respectful backgrounds trek so far and long to follow a star? Mary, Joseph, and the Wise Men responded out of love. They were in love with God who is faithful and who promised to send the Messiah to save his people.
We gather in this church today despite the darkness of fear and anxiety of the struggles of our lives including all that has happened in 2020, because we, like Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and wisemen, believe in the joy and hope promised by the birth of Christ Our Lord. Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus is the greatest gift to us because he chose to enter into our lives and bring joy and peace regardless of our life situations. Whether we are in low or high moments of our lives, whether our family is celebrating a birth of a child or grieving the loss of a loved one, whether we feel isolated and afraid, Jesus embraces every part of our lives to make them anew.
Just as the poor shepherds were in awe of the angels’ announcement, we too, listen today with wonder at the words of the angel, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy… For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” No matter who you are, no matter where you live, no matter what your circumstances, Jesus comes to you today, to be your savior and your Lord.
I wish each of you and your precious family a very happy celebration of the most holy birth of the Child Jesus. May the Christ Child who comes to us in the Eucharist live through us. May those whom we encounter recognize the heart of child Jesus in us; may we be His love and peace to them.
