Dear Friends,

Robert and I wish each of you Christmas peace, love and joy! Even though this lovely season is one of joy and family times, we realize too that some of you are missing a loved one for the first time and so your joy may not be as complete as it might be but for that loss. Hold onto all the good memories and may those be in the upper part of your minds and hearts today. Many in our world are suffering also on this day of joy, especially in the war-torn countries of Ukraine, Palestine and Syria. Yet, Emmanuel, God-with-us continues to come into our time and presence and asks for us to continue the work that he began. We wish you each, and all, the peace, joy and love that Jesus, our brother and friend brings into our world. Following, find the homily from last evening–Pastor Kathy and Robert

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   My friends – A merry and joy-filled Christmas to each of you!  Last Sunday, I promised more on the journey of Mary and Joseph tonight as perhaps a more realistic picture of this age-old story of Emmanuel, God-with-us.

   But first, let’s “set the stage,” as it were with tonight’s Scripture readings: Isaiah prophesies that “the people walking in darkness [will see] a brilliant light.”  He continues – [this] “child…born to us” [will be] “an heir” – quite a significant thought!  We know that Jesus – Emmanuel, meaning, “God-with-us,” not only has chosen to enter into our existence, but that, “he is our heir[!]”  — a more intimate connection, it seems to me, and one that in my nearly 18 years as a priest, I had never really considered before. 

   Isaiah continues…this child will be called many wonderful names, among them, “Champion of Peace,” and that “this peace will grow without end.”  Again, for me, the thought of Jesus being a “champion of peace” is one that I had never considered before either.  Perhaps in our present world, devoid of peace in many places, Ukraine and Palestine, Syria, the need for “peace without end” is foremost in our minds, but more so, in our hearts, thus the importance of thinking of this aspect of Jesus’ mission. 

   In the second reading from Titus, speaking of “the grace of God, [appearing], offering salvation to all,” I will simply say, we need to immediately, “go deeper” on this one, and realize that the message isn’t about “salvation from our sins,” but from our human tendency at times, to be less than we can be. 

   Then we come to tonight’s gospel and I think it leads us nicely into the continuing story of Mary and Joseph and all that was perhaps back of them, to give the world the Messiah.

   We see clearly with open eyes and hearts that this long-awaited Messiah is coming to uplift the poor, the down-trodden, those with no power in our world.  We see this immediately in “what is provided” for Mary and Joseph – there is “no room at the inn.”  When Jesus does arrive, he must be laid in a feeding trough for animals in a stable – the only place available.  And who are the first to congratulate the young parents at the birth of their son, but poor shepherds.  It might be good for us to consider during these Christmas days, why our God chose to come among us in such simplicity, such poverty.

   Additionally, the angels who brought glad tidings foretold what this Messiah would be about in his life, in their counsel to, “fear not.” Through Jesus’ public life, we are told, by the “miracle” of AI,  that he spoke about “not fearing” 21 times, and previous to AI, it was erroneously thought to be 365 times – a bit of trivia, as I’m not sure Robert has any for us tonight! (:  Luke concludes with, “And on earth peace to those on whom God’s favor rests. 

   The Jewish people, as we spoke of last Sunday, waited eons for their Messiah to appear, many thinking that this One would come as a king to rule them and put down their enemies.  But in reality, we see that as Jesus will show throughout his public life – Our ways are not God’s ways, and Jesus will continually “turn things on their heads.” 

   We really must marvel at the way that God chose to “become one-with-us [!]”  As someone said, “not in glory, but simplicity, not in splendor, but in poverty, not in power, but in weakness.”  Again, my friends, if we stay on the surface, then “kingship” is about royalty and status; but Jesus’ simple coming among the poor, signals a new meaning for “kingship” and that is about “what people do” in their lives, not about who they are, or where they came from.

   The way that God chose to be one-with-us proclaimed in many ways a message of hope, love and joy to those with so little in our world, and gave all of humanity, no matter our physical state or status in life, the promise that Jesus comes for “all of us” who are poor and weak at times, be it physically, emotionally, or spiritually. 

   So then, let us look at  the possible real-life story of Mary and Joseph, and of the little Jesus entering our world.  As the Scripture story is presented in tonight’s reading, we get the idea, as mentioned last Sunday that this event happened, rather “easy-peasy” as no details are given.  Simply put, it seems to me if “Lucy” rather than Luke had written the text, we may have gotten a clearer view of what went on.  And some might ask, why is that important?  It is important because the more we can relate to these spiritual models of old, the more their example can be meaningful and relevant to our own lives. 

   Again, Marjorie Holmes in Two from Galilee does this well.  Anyone of you who has physically gone through childbirth, or witnessed another giving birth, knows that it isn’t at all, “easy-peasy,” but that it takes all the physical strength and determination that you can muster.  And for the spouses or helpers who have stood by, watching and trying to give their wives/loved ones support through the ordeal, it takes all that they have to give as well. 

   Historically, as Holmes writes, there was a taboo that men should not see a woman in childbirth, but more than likely, Joseph had no choice, not only “to see,” but to assist his beloved at this time of great fear, pain, hope and love as no one was there but the two of them. 

   Joseph no doubt hoped that the God of this miracle would swoop in at the end to miraculously bring forth the baby Messiah, but we shouldn’t be surprised that God who chose to be one-with-us, completely, would come into the world as each one of us did.  And for Joseph , there was, “a dying to self” as Holmes puts it, “to be born again for the beloved.”

   My friends, humanly put, this is what Christmas time is really all about, forgetting self for a time, and balancing that with love and care for the other – it’s a simple message, but a profound one too! 

   You all know of my love for Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister.  In her weekly message for Christmas, she had some profound things to say, and I will end with some of them:

• She says, “the child in each of us is waiting to be born again.” For those of us with a few years under our belts, she says, “Christmas is about finding life where we did not expect life to be.”
• “Each year waxes and wanes – every good moment…becomes a memory…until Christmas comes again – then we are called on the deepest, most subconscious, least cognizant level to live again.”  Simply put, not through our heads, but our hearts. 
• “Christmas,” she continues, “brings us back to the crib of life, to start over; aware of what has gone on before, conscious that nothing can last, but full of hope that this time, finally, we can learn what it takes to live well, grow to full stature of soul and spirit, and get it right!” 
• “There is a child in each of us waiting to be born again.  Christmas is not for children. It is for those who refuse to give up and grow old, for those to whom life comes newly and with purpose each and every day…life is for the living, for those in whom Christmas is a feast without finish, a celebration of the constancy of change, a call to begin once more the journey to human joy and holy meaning.”

   And my friends, it is for this reason that I refuse to concede that, “there is no Santa Claus!” – as it is an idea bigger than the gifts under the tree!  Amen?  Amen!

      My friends, on this last Sunday of Advent, I would like to simply talk about Mary and Joseph, uncover a bit who this young couple were in order that we can better understand the parts they played in giving us our brother Jesus – one who would truly, “Show us the way.”

   If we read the gospel from Matthew today and simply stay on the surface of this well-known story, we might come away saying, “easy-peasy,” and never come to appreciate all that was back of the miracle of the Incarnation that we celebrate for the most part, with so much joy each year.

   The Jewish people waited year after year, century after century for a messiah to come out of their people, who would, they believed, be their “savior,” in perhaps more than one way.  Many thought this messiah would become an earthly “king” who would rise up against their enemies, the Romans and others. 

   As with all that is written in Scripture, we realize that there are deeper truths to be had than what immediately shows itself in a first look at the words.  In today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah, we see evidence of this.  He says, “The young woman will be with child and give birth…the child will be given the name, Immanuel…God-with-us.”

   When Isaiah wrote these words, in the 8^th Century, BCE, they were meant, “to give hope” to King Ahaz of the House of David, and to the Southern Kingdom of Judah, that was being severely threatened by their enemies.  Giving hope is what all good prophets do, and in this case he is telling the king and the people to be “patient and tranquil” – that their God-is -with-them, and if they can be patient, they will live to see One who will truly come and be with them, showing them the way. Once again, we hear the Advent message of “patience” – most good things take patient-waiting to bring about. 

   And in this case, we, looking back can see the multi-layered message as Isaiah and the Southern Kingdom at that time, wouldn’t be the ones to see the Messiah.  But Mary and Joseph, in God’s good time, would! 

   Earlier I stated that simply reading Matthew’s gospel about “the coming of Immanuel” as foretold by Isaiah and others, as a “matter of fact,” surface-tale, and if we look at it in this way, we miss so much of the depth and wealth of this story.  Thus, a deeper dive into this well-known historical event gives us a model for how to live our own Christian lives. 

   Over 50 years ago, an author, Marjorie Holmes, reflecting on her own life, was inspired to write a historical novel, Two from Galilee, about Mary and Joseph, because her inspiration, as she prayed in front of the Christmas crib in her parish church told her that this story actually happened! Her book is one that I have read every Advent over the past 50 years as I feel that it so beautifully takes that deeper dive into the possible lives of two young people of faith who also loved each other very much. I believe as did the author that in order to give the world “a messiah” who could truly help people to, as we say here, “become their best,” both faith and a deep love for each other would need to be present in his earthly parents.

   Sometimes, the Scriptures are maddeningly sparse on the details of how an event came to be, and I think humans like Holmes, wanting to know and understand, set out “to fill in” the details in order that others could truly see these biblical characters as ones they could follow in their own walks of faith. 

   The true inspiration for Marjorie Holmes in writing Two from Galilee, as I said above, came one Christmas season as she knelt before the Nativity scene in her parish church, and reflecting on her own 13-year-old daughter, she came to see that the young mother, Mary, was a real individual, not unlike her own daughter.

   Going back then to Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth; let’s “pick the story apart” a bit to see what a deeper dive might show us.  The surface story tells us that Mary and Joseph were engaged to be married, but before they came to live together – a line that points to the “hoped-for” intimacy to come between them, Mary is found to be “already with child.”  Now, I think, at this point in the story, we have to simply stop reading and let this fact lay on our hearts…an engaged woman, with child, not from her intended.

   In faith, if we go along with the Christmas story, Mary said “yes” to her God who asked a great deal of her.  In the moment, this young woman gave the only answer that a person of true faith can give – “yes!”  She didn’t immediately think of how she would be viewed in her neighborhood, but all too soon it would become obvious that she, an unmarried woman was with child.  She could hardly say, as the musical group, The Statler Brothers did in the past, in a Christmas ballad, “Oh no, my baby’s dad is the Holy Spirit!” 

   So, Mary was a woman of faith, we know, and in the end, Joseph became a man of faith, too. Neither of these two could have possibly got their heads around what had befallen them, but through their hearts and through their mutual love for each other, they could fully participate in what God was asking of them, and bring about the miracle.

   And just a word on Joseph, Jesus’ earthly dad; as Marjorie Holmes puts it, “a son not of his loins, but of his heart. In the past, Joseph was always depicted by Church fathers as an old man, assuming that physical passion was far from his mind, and this did all of us who would follow, a disservice.  Why a disservice? Because my friends, it takes all the faith and trust in a loving God away, along with the trust in the miracle that takes place not only at Christmas time, but within each of us who truly love each other and who at times must sacrifice a great deal for those whom we love.  There is a reason why Christmas continues, over the years to be a beloved time of year – the best in all of us seems to rise to the occasion, and truth-telling is a part of that. More on this idea will be in my Christmas homily. 

   With the Second Vatican Council, much of the surface thinking on the religious story around the Incarnation was allowed to, we might say, “become more real, more human,” and Joseph was presented then as a younger man, who was asked to give up much too, to in fact become more like us humans…and we can take it from there.  In this sense, Mary and Joseph, who had to have loved each other very much could provide Jesus with a home where love was expressed, one for another, and no doubt give him, brothers and sisters. 

   For this Sunday then, we will leave the young couple of faith and love, saying more on Christmas Eve about what those two precious gifts, faith and love were able to give our world.   Amen? Amen!

My friends, as I said in the bulletin, this Sunday is called, “Gaudete” in the Latin, and it means, “rejoice.” And as said in previous homilies, Advent in its entirety is about joy – and a joy that continues to build throughout this wonderful season of expectant waiting. 

   I would call our attention to our sister/mother, Mary and her spouse, Joseph, and of how, as any set of expectant parents await a coming birth – there is the beginning joy of learning that a pregnancy has occurred, and with each passing week/month as the woman’s body begins to change, as the baby develops, and eventually moves for the first time – there is joy that continues to grow until the baby comes, usually screaming into this world, hungry for nourishment and comfort in many ways.  This my friends is what we celebrate during Advent – life and love in many ways. 

   There are books available that question the whole story of God and a human mother uniting to give birth to our brother Jesus, making him effectively Divine and Human at the same time.  As a Franciscan sister once said to me, “There were no video cameras available then, so we simply don’t know if what we have been told and believed for so long is actually true.” Into this enters “faith,” that ability/gift we might say, to believe what we can’t prove.  And being that we can’t prove this astonishing claim, I choose to believe the Christmas story pretty much intact – that our loving God, for no other reason than, over-the-top love and concern for us, entered into human existence, choosing to-be-one-of-and with-us, and to show us how to become our best selves. 

   Now, whether our sister Mary needed to be proclaimed as a “virgin,” probably a fact, for some, that is a bit incredulous, because after all, when a woman gives birth, she is no longer “a virgin,” and it really adds nothing to the beautiful story of Jesus becoming “one-with-us” to know that Mary was somehow, “a virgin” throughout the process.

   Unfortunately, what it does say is that the hierarchy of our beloved Church had and continues to have trouble with sexuality in expression.  That somehow, our God would find anything wrong in uniting with humanity to create Jesus in the manner that each of us were created, and continue to do so, makes the whole beautiful story of co-creation less than it can be.  And for that reason, these same powers-that-be, “need to clean up” this otherwise most beautiful and precious story, by sanitizing Mary in feasts such as the Immaculate Conception, the Assumption, and having her for all time remain, “a virgin,” untouched  by sex.  One does have to ask, if the way that our loving God chose to have us co-create and enjoy the physical comfort of another, was so bad, why would this same God, who in other places we name as, All Wonderful, Perfect-beyond-measure, have chosen such an “imperfect” method?

   In my mind, my friends, the method, in its very best sense is nothing short of beautiful, wonderful, and life-giving except for “small minds” that can’t image a totally self-giving, Creator God. 

   Isaiah, in today’s 1^st reading tells us, “Look, your God is coming” – “joy and gladness will” [be with you].  The psalmist in 146 says, [this One is coming] “with divine justice”[!]

   My friends, part of what Advent calls us to, is, “going deeper,”  and James in today’s 2^nd reading calls for “patience.” The “looking” that the prophet Isaiah asks for today, assumes that “patience” will be necessary.  We humans are capable of so much, yet we often choose the easiest, safest way out.

   Through the generous gift of friends, Robert and I travelled to St. Paul this past week, and we able to attend the Ordway’s opening night presentation of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s production of Jesus Christ, Superstar.  Through fantastic and energetic action, this rock musical portrayed Jesus becoming one-with-us, “trying so much, for 3 years, seems like 30,” to quote lyrics, to help us humans see that we are loved, just as we are.  The disillusionment that we humans feel at times, when we aren’t understood or appreciated for the ways that we have tried, was, in my mind, portrayed so well by the Jesus character, Jack Hopewell, in the play, and really a highlight for me. 

   In Matthew’s gospel today, Jesus, in uplifting the life of John the Baptist, expounds on how much each of us is loved by our God in saying that, even though history will record no one greater than John, the least born in this world is, in fact, greater than John!

   Simply put friends, each of us humans is equal in God’s sight; loved, appreciated, worthy, and wanted! We, in our humanity, might find this hard to wrap our heads around.  It is one of those things that must be laid on our hearts. 

   This is what touched me so in Jesus Christ, Superstar, in Jesus’ song of lament – reflecting his “weeping over Jerusalem – there was so much he wanted to give them, and seemingly, in the end, they didn’t get it, or couldn’t grasp it at that moment. 

   For this reason, we have such a model and friend in our brother Jesus, because if he, as one of us experienced disillusionment, depression, and chaos in his life, we as his followers should expect the same. 

   But, along with the realization that life can bring sadness and discouragement, it can also bring much joy and hope, if we can be patient and sincerely, “look” for it.  Advent teaches us all this. 

   Guarding the ending of this new version of  Jesus Christ, Superstar, for any of you who may be going to see it, let me just say, there is always “hope” for each of us, no matter what life may have been, or will be, and this was portrayed most beautifully in a twist on the “resurrection” of Jesus.

   So, my friends, in the concluding half of Advent, I invite you to stay close to the crib for all that it can teach us … Amen? Amen!