That Christmas Phone Call

 It has been a number of years now but this is one Christmas Eve item that stays with me. It is a memory from a Christmas when I was still full-time active (as opposed to pleasantly retired.) I will not mention the parish or even the year in which this took place (as if I could accurately remember the exact year anyhow!)

This is, however, a true story and an honest memory. 

And it seems this memory has had its impact on me, giving me a lesson or two each year since.

As mentioned above, this took place on a Christmas Eve.

It was at one of those overly crowded, standing room only Christmas Eve (well before Midnight) Masses.

As I recall it, most of that evening and that particular Mass went rather as  expected, rather unremarkable. The traditional readings were proclaimed, the traditional Christmas hymns were sung. The sanctuary was decked properly for the season and the Feast.

Nothing unusual.

Until . . .

The time came for the distribution of Communion.

The faithful came in traditional procession from their places to the front, to the very steps of the sanctuary to bow their heads, hear those words, "The Body of Christ," to speak their "Amen" and welcome Emmanuel anew.

Located in a pew, right there in front, very immediate and proximate to the unfolding procession, was a young lady dressed in her holiday finery. 

And suddenly she became the center of attention.

Her phone began to ring!

Not a soft and gentle sort of ring but a serious, demanding, attention grabbing ring!

That phone rang!

It cried out: Pay attention to me!

You forgot (or maybe failed) to shut me off about an hour ago and now I want you to pay attention to me. I will not be ignored!

That phone rang!

And rang still again.

And then she answered it.

Just as audibly as that phone demanded attention moments before, now this young lady's voice was demanding attention.

She did not just softly whisper into the phone, offering some words of assurance that the call would be returned a bit later.

No!

With a voice that could be heard by all around, obviously including me, she responded to the caller on the other end of that phone connection.

"I'm busy now!" She offered. "I'm still in church. They are almost finished, I think, but it's Christmas and they've been doing some special stuff."

All nearby eyes were now upon her.

All who were about to welcome Emmanuel anew, all who had just made that welcome, the ministers providing that welcome Occasion - all eyes were upon her.

And she simply put the phone away, sat back and waited for us to finish doing our "special stuff because it was Christmas!"

Thought of this episode once again this Christmas Eve.

And smiled!

And hoped and prayed that all of those who may be waiting for us to "Finish doing our Special Stuff" will just be kept waiting.

Because we who know and welcome Emmanuel, who truly know Him, are just not going to quit!

Are we?

Celebrating Christmas?

 And, yes, that is a question.

Are you celebrating Christmas? 

For those who are professing to truly, honestly claim that they are celebrating Christmas, I have an even deeper question.

Christmas, in its fully Christian sense, is about celebrating an event that took place some two thousand years ago. It happened, according to certain traditions, in a Middle Eastern village called Bethlehem. Supposedly, it took place during the courase of a Roman government census, an item that presents some difficulty authenticating.

A birth took place in this village of Bethlehem, a most remarkable birth.

Very traditional Christians call it an Incarnation - in the flesh or, perhaps a bit better, into the flesh. The belief is that God chose to become incarnate, enfleshed. God became one of us, one like us, one with us, enfleshed.

God entered into our history in a most remarkable way.

Christmas calls believers to remember and rejoice in the entry of God into our history in a way we could never really imagine.

And this year we have the shortest possible celebration of Christmas. The actual day falls on a Sunday, which makes New Year's Day a Sunday and that results, at least for American Catholics, in the Feast of the Epiphany also being observed on a Sunday, January 8, 2023. And when that happens, we observe the Baptism of the Lord on the day immediately following Epiphany, January 9, 2023.

And that's it!

Christmas is over.

All grown up! Baptized in the Jordan.

Thing is, do we really want Him to grow up?

Do we want this Child to become adult?

Or putting it another way, do we really, honestly want to welcome Him into our history, our lives, our journeys

Do we really want to celebrate Christmas?

No question that we are ready and eager to celebrate the birth of that remarkable Child.

But what happens to that welcome when He grows up?

And He does grow up, has grown up.

Are we ready to hear Him teaching us that we will be known as His disciples by the love we have for one another? Even when that "other" may be a vagrant, homeless nameless one out there on the street or a shivering migrant, huddled and hoping at our country's border?

Are we ready to take Him dead seriously when He tells us to turn the other cheek or find blessedness in being merciful?

As we look at all the prettily packaged stuff under the Tree, how do we hear His words about our Father knowing what we truly need?

Are we ready to hear the words He just may speak about what we are doing to His creation? The air He give us? or the water? or those wonders that populate land, sea and air, wonders so many of which may face extinction unless we care and act?

And possibly, just possibly He may have something to say about the billions we are willing to spend on weaponry while claiming "In God we trust!" Can we hear that teaching about being peacemakers?

He might peak into our classrooms and notice the lack of prayer, but likely He would not be surprised because He just might be hard pressed to find prayer in our homes and families these days. 

He  might have a comment or two about those empty spaces in our church pews these days.

And that may cause Him to ask a question or two about how welcoming we are and open-minded to those whom we deem "different" - because or color or culture or . . .

Christmas, true Christmas, is about an incredible intrusion into our history of God-Made-Human.

And celebrating Christmas is about declaring our eagerness to welcome the One who was born on that day so long ago.

But a true celebration of Christmas is about a welcome that does not stop. It continues long after January 9. It continues each and every day of our lives Not every day provides a full or fitting welcome. But every day is a sincere effort.

Celebrating Christmas is about welcoming the Child of Bethlehem and welcoming the Lad of Nazareth and welcoming the Teacher of Jerusalem.

And welcoming, every day, the Lord of our Life!

Ready to celebrate Christmas?

Well, then, Merry Christmas!

Facing "That Question"

 As I write this, we are moving into the Third Week of Advent. At least those of us who are not yet ready to toss the Christas Tree and silence the seasonal muzak - we are moving into the Third Week of Advent.

And this year as we do so, the Gospel that is proclaimed will set out a question. (To check out that Gospel, Matthew 11:2 - 11)

The question comes from John the Baptist who is, at the time, sitting in a prison cell due to his words of criticism surrounding the circumstances of King Herod's "marriage."

John has dedicated his life to what he believed was his calling and purpose from God. He proclaimed that the folks of his time needed to get ready. They needed to take seriously, very seriously, the messages of those ancient prophets. Prepare the Way of the Lord.

John stood on the shores of the River Jordan declaring that the time was short for that preparation. The Day of the Messiah was near at hand.

Then he ended up in that prison cell.

And his cousin, Jesus, from Nazareth, was emerging strongly on the scene and word was that in this Jesus could be found the fulfillment of those ancient prophetic words and those more recent declarations of John himself.

Jesus might well be the long awaited One, the Promised One, the Messiah.

But John was sitting there in that prison cell and wondering.

And so he dared to ask his question.

Confined to that cell, he could not ask it personally and so he sent his disciples, messengers. They would, in John's name and in their own, ask the question.

"Are you the one who is to come or shall we wait for another?"

I am thinking about that question in the present, right now, in this twenty-first century.

And I am hearing many, so very, very many asking that question today - of Jesus, as did John, but now also of us, every one of us who would call ourselves disciples, followers of this Jesus of Nazareth.

"Are you the one? Or shall we keep on waiting?"

In that Gospel when the question is set before Him, Jesus answers by pointing to His works, to the things He is doing. He points to the brokenness that He is healing, to the ignorant being enlightened by His teachings and His words, to the unwanted, the marginalized being welcomed and embraced, to those who in various ways seem dead and are, by Him, being overwhelmed by the wonder of life.

He points to His works as testimony to answering that question.

But today, twenty one centuries later we, His disciples, are the ones charged with giving the questioners the answer to that question. Make no mistake about it. They are asking. They are wondering. "Why should we believe in Him? Take Him seriously? Why?"

And the answer is not to be found in the beautiful buildings we have crafted. Not to be found in the majestic music we have composed. Not to be found the the smells and bells of some High Church Worship ritual.

The answer today must be the same and the one He gave so many years ago.

Look at our works.

Look at what we are doing.

Do you see us lifting up the downtrodden? Giving worth to the marginalized? bestowing health - physical, yes, but also mental, psychological, spiritual? Do you see the care we have for children? Their parents? Those at our country's borders? Those kids who have to engage in active shooter drills in their classrooms? The air that we breath? The water that we drink? Do you see how generously we are willing to share the rich resources with which we are blessed?

What do they see when they ask That Question and then look at us?

Can they catch a glimpse of Him?

Can they get a feeling for why they just might consider paying closer attention to Him?

"Are you He who is to come or should we wait for still another?"

Are we, His followers, giving solid reasons to celebrate Christmas? Or just encouraging a Happy Holiday time?

The question set before us this weekend brings to my mind an astute observation made by that great author and thinker, G.K. Chesterton. 

Chesterton observed: "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried."

What might happen if, somehow, this Christmas followers of Jesus Christ really committed to show by our actions that He truly is the long awaited One!