In the mystery of the Word made flesh
a new light of your glory has shone
upon the eyes of our mind,
so that, as we recognize in him God made visible,
we may be caught up through him in love of things
invisible.
(Christmas Preface)
The Word for Christmas: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/122515-midnight.cfm
There is a well-known Christmas story told from the
time of the First World War. As the first Christmas of World War I approached,
Pope Benedict XV on Dec. 7, 1914, asked the leaders of all warring governments
to agree to an official cease-fire. He begged "that the guns may fall
silent at least upon the night the angels sang."
Not surprisingly, his plea was ignored by government leaders. But many of the soldiers on the front lines declared their own unofficial truce.
On Christmas Eve of 1914, German troops in Belgium, put
candles around their trenches and sang Christmas carols. When opposing British
troops heard the Germans singing, they responded with Christmas caroling of
their own.The sound of gun-fire and destruction throughout the
region fell silent.
Then a remarkable scene occurred. German and British
soldiers climbed out of their trenches and ventured unarmed into the highly
dangerous no man's land to exchange gifts of food and drink, as well as
souvenir hats and buttons.
The truce also allowed opposing sides to retrieve their
dead and participate in joint services.
A firsthand account of this inspiring Christmas truce
was given by Bruce Bairnsfather, who fought with a British machine gun unit. He
wrote: "I wouldn't have missed that unique and weird Christmas Day for
anything. ... I spotted a German officer, some sort of lieutenant I should
think, and being a bit of a collector, I intimated to him that I had taken a
fancy to some of his buttons. ... I brought out my wire clippers and, with a
few deft snips, removed a couple of his buttons and put them in my pocket. I
then gave him two of mine in exchange."
Reportedly as many as 100,000 British and German troops
along much of the Western Front -- a line of trenches stretching from the North
Sea to the Swiss frontier with France -- stopped fighting and engaged in
similar acts of human kindness.
But as is sometimes the case, the: "leaders"
got in the way. High-ranking officers ordered all such truces to stop and to
start killing again.
(Source: National Catholic Reporter: Tony Magliano)
Once again, Christmas is upon us and we hear the story
of Bethlehem, the manger, a virgin Mother and a new born child. We know of a
courageous and just man by the name of Joseph who is key to completing the
image of the Holy Family. We can tell the story of the shepherds and magi by
heart. Singing angels who proclaim the
birth of a new born king and the German lullaby “Silent Night” is embedded in
our Christmas traditions. But the constant pursuit of peace on earth, despite
the heroic story of the famed Christmas truce, remains seemingly far away.
While we may tire of the rush, frenetic shopping
sprees, the unspoken competition as to which house has more lights or who makes
the best egg nog, in the end Christmas remains fresh every time we hear the
familiar story of the birth of Jesus Christ. In spite of all the glamour and glitter, Christmas is about a person and his eternal impact on human life.
In its stark simplicity, there is hidden a great
mystery that will forever be alive and fresh each year in December. So, maybe
we need to reflect more on what the story implies than on the all familiar
details of its scene. The Christmas truce between fighting soldiers, for
example, shows us peace is possible and preferred for those who of their own
volition, lay aside weapons of war. Other weapons of hatred, jealousy,
materialism, gossip, and all forms of behavior that alienate ourselves from God
and others, sin, are to be overcome through his abundant mercy and grace.
In our Scripture readings for the traditional Mass at
Night celebrated by ancient tradition somewhere near the midnight hour, we hear
Isaiah the prophet proclaim: “The people
who walked in darkness have seen a great light . . . “(Is 9: 1). Darkness
here refers both to lack of knowledge and understanding but also to the
darkness of sin.
With the birth of this child, a new age begins. A new light enters the world as never before
and a new hope dawns for all humankind.
But, we must choose to embrace that new light and that new hope. God offered the world a “Christmas” gift in
the mystery of the Incarnation (God made flesh) in the womb of a human mother but
we must decide whether we want that gift or not. If our answer is “yes” then we
ask what we must do about it. So, God proposes a new way of life for those willing
to embrace his Gospel.
A few years before he retired, Pope Emeritus Benedict
XVI offered an Op-ed piece in, of all places, the Financial Times. This highly unusual move by a secular magazine
which offers business and financial advice to those in such a field wouldn’t
normally open their pages to the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church.
However, they apparently did and then Pope Benedict invited
Christians to reassess their Christmas priorities. By doing so, he clearly implies the new way
by which God reveals himself to us in Christ and what it means for our daily
lives.
Among what the Pope writes he states: “Christians shouldn’t shun the world; they
should engage with it . . .” The vast majority of us do not live as hermits
or in silent Monasteries but rather, particularly the laity, are involved in
the daily push and pull of human life. Myself as Parish Priest is likewise
called out from my office or home to engage the culture around us with a higher
set of values; a better way to live based on God’s law as revealed to us. In this
Jubilee Year of Mercy our present Pope Francis has adopted this similar theme
of outreach to a hurting world when he in a variety of ways has described the
Church as a “field hospital after battle.”
Pope Emeritus Benedict goes on pointedly: “Christians fight poverty out of recognition
of the supreme dignity of every human being . . . Christians work for more
equitable sharing of the earth’s resources out of a belief that, as stewards of
God’s creation, we have a duty to care for the weakest and most vulnerable.
Christians oppose greed and exploitation out of a conviction that generosity
and selfless love, as taught and lived by Jesus of Nazareth, are the way that
leads to fullness of life. Christian belief in the transcendent destiny of
every human being gives urgency to the task of promoting peace and justice for
all.”
The birth of the Son of God and Son of Mary among us
came historically at a time of great peace. Luke reminds us of Caesar Augustus
during whose time found the vast Roman Empire in a period of peace. Angels call
all humanity to see this child as the central figure of history. From him, through shepherds and Magi, all
humankind from all cultures and races will be offered a new Gospel of peace and
mercy– Good News.
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI offers us concrete ways in
which we can live out this Gospel: fight poverty, share more equitably, oppose
greed and exploitation, and defend human life in all its stages.
As we gather around Word and Sacrament at Holy Mass
this Christmastime, let’s reflect, rejoice, and embrace this new good news of the
Savior that is both ancient and new. There will be large crowds everywhere. Let’s not judge but welcome and encourage.
Our work is cut out for us indeed. But if warring troops can lay aside guns,
light candles, sing carols and face each other peacefully on the battle field,
how can we do anything less?
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