{"id":2371,"date":"2017-12-25T11:28:59","date_gmt":"2017-12-25T16:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/?p=2371"},"modified":"2017-12-25T11:28:59","modified_gmt":"2017-12-25T16:28:59","slug":"christmas-2017-homily","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/christmas-2017-homily\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas 2017 Homily"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christmas 2017
\nReadings from Mass during the Night<\/a>
\nIsaiah 9:1-6
\nPsalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13, (Luke 2:11)
\nTitus 2:11-14
\nLuke 2:1-14
\nDecember 25, 2017<\/p>\n

Today we celebrate something very special.\u00a0 It is so special that people come in great numbers.\u00a0 Some of you are here every week.\u00a0 Some are in town visiting.\u00a0 Some may be from neighboring parishes.\u00a0 Some are simply moved by what we celebrate today.\u00a0 Whatever category you fit in, we are very glad<\/em><\/strong> to have you with us.<\/p>\n

What does draw us in large numbers today?\u00a0 After all, it is a busy time of year with so much to do.\u00a0 Why make Church part of the busyness?<\/p>\n

I think some people are so tired of the busyness that they want to know there is \u201csomething more.\u201d\u00a0 Why put up with the busyness?\u00a0 Is the busyness worth the effort?<\/p>\n

The start of the answer to these questions is found in the name of this special time, Christ<\/u>mas<\/em>.\u00a0 It begins with \u201cChrist.\u201d\u00a0 The word \u201cChrist\u201d means \u201cmessiah\u201d or \u201canointed one.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Jews had waited a thousand years for the coming of a Messiah.\u00a0 Through times of darkness and gloom, the promise of a messiah was the source of hope for them, hope that they needed<\/em><\/strong> to endure sufferings.<\/p>\n

We still need \u201chope\u201d today.\u00a0 We live in a world where gloom is seen in acts of hatred and terrorism.\u00a0 The hatred brings darkness, darkness that blocks out God.<\/p>\n

Where do we find \u201clight\u201d in the darkness?<\/p>\n

Jesus!<\/p>\n

Jesus is the light that brings hope.\u00a0 Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecies of a messiah and so much more.<\/p>\n

The Jews expected a messiah who would be a political king like David and get rid of their enemies, the Romans.\u00a0 They expected a messiah who would be an ordinary human but also a great king just like David.\u00a0 What they got was, what we get is, the Son of God!<\/p>\n

Never before had God come in this way.\u00a0 God had appeared at various times like the burning bush to Moses.\u00a0 God had done great signs for them in the parting of the Red Sea and, later, the Jordan River.<\/p>\n

Isaiah wrote prophesying, \u201cFor a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests.\u00a0 They name him Wonder Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

This is Jesus.\u00a0 He brings \u201cabundant joy and great rejoicing<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 So, Jesus\u2019 birth is \u201cgood news of great joy\u2026For today in the city of David, a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

In the Old Testament times God watched over his people yet God could seem distant.\u00a0 No one had seen God face to face.\u00a0 God was among the \u201cinvisible\u201d but in Jesus God becomes \u201cvisible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus is fully human just like us yet Jesus is also fully divine, consubstantial with the Father (this alone is a mystery).\u00a0 As heir to the throne of David, he is king.<\/p>\n

As king, one would expect him to be born in a palace, separated from the people.\u00a0 He was born in a stable and laid in a manger.<\/p>\n

One would expect a king to be dressed in fine linens.\u00a0 At his birth, Jesus was dressed in \u201cswaddling clothes<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first to visit a king would be royal figures.\u00a0 The first to visit Jesus were shepherds.<\/p>\n

Why a stable?\u00a0 Why \u201cswaddling clothes<\/em>\u201d?\u00a0 Why shepherds?<\/p>\n

Our gospel story says, \u201cthe time came for her to have her child<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Taken at face value, this means it was time for Mary\u2019s pregnancy to end and for Jesus to emerge visibly into the world.<\/p>\n

Taken at a much deeper level, the phrase \u201cthe time came<\/em>\u201d signifies that it was now the point in God\u2019s eternal plan for our salvation to come among us.\u00a0 No longer would God be a distant figure.<\/p>\n

If Jesus had been born as a great king in a palace, dressed in fine linens, and visited only by royal figures, God might still seem distant and remote.\u00a0 God wants each and every one of us to have a personal relationship with him<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

To make this possible, God chose to have Jesus born in a stable.\u00a0 Unlike a palace, the stable was accessible to all.<\/p>\n

If Jesus had been dressed in fine linens, this would have said he was better than those who couldn\u2019t afford such things.<\/p>\n

The shepherds were considered a low cast.\u00a0 They were chosen to be the first to hear the \u201cgood news of great joy<\/em>\u201d that a \u201csavior had been born<\/em>\u201d and to hear that he was born for them, not just the elite to say that Jesus is accessible to all.<\/p>\n

What about the manger?<\/p>\n

Do you know what a manger is?\u00a0 For most, if not all of us, the only time we use the word \u201cmanger\u201d is describe where the baby Jesus laid.\u00a0 The word \u201cmanger\u201d actually signifies a trough that animals eat out of.\u00a0 That means the manger had the food for the animals to eat.\u00a0 Jesus is the food that we need to strengthen us.\u00a0 Jesus feeds us in God\u2019s Word and in the Eucharist we celebrate.<\/p>\n

Jesus wants us to know him, to have a personal relationship with him.\u00a0 This can seem difficult to us, especially in a world where many people think we should put Jesus in a box and not talk about him.\u00a0 But it\u2019s Christmas!\u00a0 His name is in the very word we call this holiday.\u00a0 Hearing the word \u201cChristmas\u201d leads us to think about him.<\/p>\n

It can be hard to understand some of what the Bible says.\u00a0 It might seem hard to connect to Jesus.\u00a0 It takes effort.\u00a0 It takes openness.\u00a0 You show a desire to know Jesus by coming here today.\u00a0 Let this desire be alive in your heart.\u00a0 Read the Bible.\u00a0 Come to church.\u00a0 Enroll the young children in our faith formation classes.\u00a0 For middle schoolers and high schoolers, we have our youth groups.\u00a0 For adults, I try to do some sessions to help us better understand our faith more so that we can develop a relationship with Jesus.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t happen overnight.\u00a0 It means coming here often.\u00a0 It takes effort but the effort isn\u2019t all your own.\u00a0 The most important thing you can do is to open your heart to Jesus and he will lead you to the Father.<\/p>\n

Today we celebrate with \u201cabundant joy and great rejoicing<\/em>\u201d for \u201ctoday in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Christmas 2017 Readings from Mass during the Night Isaiah 9:1-6 Psalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13, (Luke 2:11) Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-14 December 25, 2017 Today we celebrate something very special.\u00a0 It is so special that people come in great numbers.\u00a0 Some of you are here every week.\u00a0 Some are in town visiting.\u00a0 Some may be …<\/p>\n

Continue reading ‘Christmas 2017 Homily’ »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[62,82],"tags":[129,227],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pMTPk-Cf","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2371"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2371"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2372,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2371\/revisions\/2372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.renewaloffaith.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}