The night when Jesus was born would have
been much like today. Bethlehem was a busy place. Because there was a census
underway, people from all over Israel and beyond came to town to enroll. All
the inns were filled to capacity.
Families were opening their homes to distant relatives whom they may
have been meeting for the first time. The streets were packed with people
looking for a place to stay and a warm meal. All over town, innkeepers and
restaurant owners were doing a brisk business eager to take advantage of the
influx of cash these visitors brought. Bethlehem was buzzing with commerce and
celebration.
However, in all the bustling and
noise, the most important event of all
was taking place in a dirty stable on the outskirts of town. The Messiah, the
king of Israel, was being born. However, there was no room for him. No one made
any time from their busy schedules to take notice. No one broke away from their
parties to celebrate the birth of the one who would save them from their sins.
We gather here today like the shepherds
who heard the glad tidings of the angel that the Savior of the World could be
found in a manger. We've come here today to hear for ourselves the good news of
his birth proclaimed. Through the miracle of the Eucharist, we receive him who
was born for us. In a wonderful way, the child born for our salvation gives
himself to be our food. He comes to make his home in our hearts. Out of love,
we come here to make room for him who had no place to rest his head.
We gather here today like the Wise Men who
left their homes to offer their gifts to the newborn King of the Jews. Just so,
we offer him our lives pledging to put into action the love and humility he
showed through his birth. Along with the bread and wine, we offer our good
works, sacrifices, struggles and even our weakness and failures.
We do that in honor of the Christ child who so loved the world that he was
willing to be born in the humblest of circumstances. So much so, that he was
willing to go hidden and unnoticed.
Why have we left our homes, our parties
and our preparations to gather in this place today? Because our hearts yearn
for something more than all the parties and all the presents in the world could
ever give us. We long for God. We long for the joy that can only be found in
him. We long for his peace which is so easily drowned out by the bustling noise
of the Christmas season. We long for Jesus and we know that we can find him
here in a place hidden from the hectic pace of the world outside.
The challenge for us now is to learn to
discover him present and at work in the world around us. The angel tells Joseph
that Jesus is" Emmanuel", which means" God is with us". He
is with us always and can be found anywhere, not only in church. Just as his
presence was hidden in a stable in Bethlehem so his presence is hidden in the
world today. We can find him wherever people are neglected, abandoned or alone.
We find him in nursing homes where the elderly will spend this night alone with
no one to visit them. We find him in hospitals among the sick who will have no
one to comfort them. We find him in young people who have no one to listen to them and who feel alone
even in their homes. We find him in the working poor and immigrants who will be
spending Christmas day away from their families sweeping floors, washing dishes
or scrubbing toilets. We find him at our office party in the arrogant coworker
who covers up his insecurity and fear by getting drunk and acting obnoxious. If
we cannot see Jesus in these little ones we cannot see Jesus at all. If we
cannot make room for these people, we cannot make room for Jesus.
God has not abandoned us. Through Jesus,
he has made his home with us forever. If we do not see him it is probably
because we are looking in the wrong place. The people of Jesus day did not
expect the Messiah to be born in a stable. Perhaps we do not expect to find him
in those the world considers to be losers and rejects. But he is there waiting
for us to find him. Just as he is here offering himself to us.
If Jesus is not real to you, if you have
looked for him and not been able to find him, then ask God to send you an angel
to lead you to him. He wants to be found by you. He wants you to know him and
to love him. Even more importantly, he wants you to know how much he loves you,
enough to die on a cross for you. But be prepared! This angel will come to you
at a time you will not be expecting and in a way you could never imagine. God
is a God of surprises. So if we really want to see and meet Jesus then we will
have to keep our eyes and ears open and our hearts ready.
God is real. He lives among us.
"Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to people of goodwill"
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