Homily:
The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God – Cycle C
For those of you who know me a little, you’ll know that I’m
not necessarily a fan of all of the Christmas hype that leads up to
Christmas. As Catholics, our pattern is
always “fast” before “feast” and every year our society hijacks Christmas and
makes it “feast” and then “feast”. It’s
exhausting work trying to resist all of that pre-Christmas, Christmas feasting
and, to be honest, it took me until a couple of days ago before I could step
back and really delight in the fact that it was Christmas. What a good thing, then, that, for Catholics,
Christmas Day extends eight whole days! That’s
right, I said that Christmas Day, itself, is celebrated for eight days. While the rest of the world has been regretting
their bloated stomachs after having feasted on Christmas for over a month, we
are joyfully concluding our celebration of the Octave of Christmas. Thus, while the rest of the world is putting
away Christmas, we are here, singing “Glory to God in the highest” as if it was
still Christmas morning.
Now, the fact that there are significantly less people here
today than there were on Christmas morning indicates to me that we have some
work to do in educating our brothers and sisters about how Catholics celebrate
the great feasts of Our Lord. Perhaps,
however, we can see in ourselves those poor shepherds to whom the birth of
Christ was proclaimed in the middle of that first Christmas night: as if we
have been entrusted with a message that others had not received; and, as we
have gathered today, perhaps we can look to them for how to use this
celebration as a way to launch us into 2016 towards becoming better disciples
of Jesus.
Saint Luke paints a beautiful picture of those poor,
hardworking shepherds making their way to the stable cave in Bethlehem; but, it
begs the question: Where did Saint Luke find out about this encounter? Remember, he wasn't there. There were no newspapers to cover the story
and there weren’t any Apostles yet who could have witnessed it. So, how did he find out? Perhaps he heard it second-hand from Jesus
through one of the Apostles. Given the
amount of detail included, however, it seems more likely that an eyewitness told
him about it. Given that Joseph was
deceased before Jesus had manifested himself publicly and that we have no
Scriptural record of any of the shepherds or magi reappearing later as Jesus’
disciples, it’s probably safe to bet that Mary was that eyewitness that shared
these stories with Luke. And we see
that, when she told him, she chose her words carefully in order to make the
full meaning of these events come out. Thus,
the three “verbs” that describe the actions taken by the shepherds are not mere
coincidence; rather, they are the inspired message that reveals a pattern of
how each of us can better live our discipleship of Jesus and proclaim the
message of Christmas.
First, Saint Luke tells us that the shepherds "went in
haste" to find the child about whom the angel spoke. Amazed as they were by what they had seen, they
were even more eager to meet this newborn Savior, and, perhaps, somehow, to
receive his blessing. The history of
humanity is the history of a people lost in darkness and searching for meaning,
purpose, and light. God's promise of
blessing, redemption and everlasting life—in other words, the fulfillment of
all that we are searching for—is what Christ came to give us and it is the
message that we receive at Christmas; which is why we, like the shepherds,
should be eager to go and look for the Christ—that is, to "make
haste" to find him—each and every day through prayer, reading the Bible,
and celebrating the sacraments.
Second, Saint Luke tells us that the shepherds “made known
the message” that had been told them.
The news the angel announced to them was too good for them to keep to
themselves and so they felt a need to share it—that is, to tell others about
the Savior—which, it can be said, is always a sign of an authentic encounter
with God. I mean, when we have or
discover something wonderful, we don’t hold it back, do we? No, we share it! (…on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat,
etc.) Thus, when we truly experience
Christ, even just a little bit, something similar happens. Our hearts automatically
overflow with a desire to share that experience. And if we don't feel that desire, it probably
means that our friendship with Christ could use a little maintenance. What better reason, then, to "make
haste" to Bethlehem to have a fresh encounter with our Savior so as to
become eager once again to “make known the message” of our redemption.
Third, Saint Luke tells us that, after the shepherds made
haste to come and see Jesus, and after they told their amazing story to
everyone who would listen, they "returned glorifying and praising
God." And so we see that, when we
seek Christ and share this Good News, he fills our hearts with a deep, inner
joy that overflows in words of glory and praise to God. The shepherds were so full of this joy that they
couldn't hold it in. And so the same can
be true for us: if we follow in the shepherds' footsteps this year—actively
seeking Christ in prayer, the Bible, and the sacraments, as well as bringing
Christ's grace and presence to those around us—everything in our lives will be
infused with the joy of Christmas and we, too, will go forth from here,
glorifying and praising God for his incredible mercy.
Nevertheless, we know that life for the shepherds didn't
end on Christmas. Rather, they had to return
to the “humdrum” of their daily lives. And
after our holiday breaks, each of us will return to the “humdrum” of our daily
lives, too. And so, how can we keep the
meaning and lessons of Christmas shining in our hearts even after we take down
the Christmas lights? For this we look
to Mary, whose divine motherhood we remember in a special way today.
Mary didn't let the hustle and bustle of daily life drown
out the beauty and wonder of Christmas. Rather,
as Saint Luke records for us, "Mary kept all these things, reflecting on
them in her heart." In other words,
she pondered deeply these great mysteries that she was experiencing so as to
keep the joy that filled her at Christmas fresh and full in her heart. This is a pattern for all of us: to keep the
great mysteries that we have celebrated here at Christmas close in our hearts
so that the joy of receiving the Christ child will remain fresh and full in our
hearts throughout this new year.
My brothers and sisters, today in Holy Communion we will
receive the Body of Christ, which was formed in the womb of Mary. When we do, let's ask our spiritual Mother,
the Mother of God and of all Christians, to teach us how to take care of the
precious faith we have received and renewed during these days, just as she took
care of the baby Jesus. Then we will be
ready to go forth from here, glorifying and praising God, as we make haste to
share this good news—that the Christ of God has come to us and that he has
saved us. Halleluiah! Let me say it again: the Christ of God has
come to us and he has saved us!
Given at All Saints Parish:
Logansport, IN – January 1st, 2016
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