Brief synopsis of the readings: The Catholic lectionary provides readings for 4 different masses: Vigil (Christmas Eve), Midnight Mass, Mass at Dawn, and Mass During the Day. For the past few years I have used the readings from Midnight Mass and I do this for a few reasons. I like the symbolism of celebrating Christmas in the middle of the night a few days from the shortest day of the year: the idea of light breaking through the “heart of darkness” appeals to me. As a child and teenager I was an altar boy and serving Midnight Mass was a high point of the year. Also, the Gospel is Luke’s account which many of us can nearly read from memory. It is both evocative and comforting. I make no promises for next year but am choosing Midnight Mass this year.
Our first reading comes from Isaiah and speaks of the “people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” Isaiah tells us that all burdens are finished “for a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They shall name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.” Luke’s Gospel described the birth of Jesus. He explained that Joseph and Mary needed to journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem because the Romans demanded a census and expected everyone to return to his ancestral home. While there the couple were denied lodging and found their place in a barn. While there Mary delivered her baby boy. Shepherds, who were normally seen as sinners, were told of this birth. While there is no proof that these shepherds actually travelled to see this new baby, it’s clear that they were blessed by Jesus’ birth.
The event was, let us say this, fairly simple. Nobody outside of the Mary and Joseph knew what was happening. The important people of the day, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Roman Soldiers, knew nothing about this. Neither did most of the Jews, even the owners of the home who directed Mary and Joseph to their barn. This birth would have been easy to ignore.
It shouldn’t surprise any of us. Our history speaks of many events that became important only in hindsight. Many of us “learned” as students that King George III wrote “nothing of importance happened today” in his diary on July 4, 1776 [full disclosure: George III never kept a diary and this didn’t really happen. Still, it’s a great story].
Some events, like the signing of the Declaration of Independence, happen in small rooms and gain importance over time. This declaration meant virtually nothing until the British surrendered in 1783 and “July 4th” as a recognizable date has grown only because of that.
But Christmas didn’t gain importance over time. This event began as not only important but critical in our history. What we’ve gained in the last 2,000 years isn’t a rise in the importance of this event but a rise in our understanding of this event.
Simply put, this remote event didn’t become a forgotten event because our salvation depends on it. Without Bethlehem we wouldn’t be “people who walked in darkness [who] have seen a great light.” Our charge going forward is clear: we are to proclaim this event and fashion our lives around it.
I’ve spoken about this before but we tend to look on this scene from Luke with some nostalgia. Last year I spoke about how the “manger scene” evokes strong images in our imagination. In 1223 St. Francis of Assisi constructed the first manger scene and I think we’d be hard pressed to imagine Christmas without it. For many of us in our 40s and 50s we wouldn’t think of celebrating Christmas without viewing “A Charlie Brown Christmas” that debuted 50 years ago.
And while I’m the first to agree with the importance of looking back to that night in Bethlehem, perhaps we should look forward. Looking back calls us to remember, but looking forward calls us to act. We need to do both, and oftentimes remembering (falsely) gives us permission to ignore the call to act.
We know how Christmas was celebrated 100 years ago (encouraging everyone to search for the poem “Christmas in the Trenches” about Christmas 1914) I ask that we look to Christmas 100 years from now.
Christmas 2115 will almost certainly not include any of us, but it will include our descendants (literally and figuratively). One hundred years ago all of Europe and parts of Asia and America were embroiled in what we now call World War I. Today the world is not at war but we recognize that global terrorism continues to strike fear in us.
Perhaps our celebration of Christmas 2015 calls us to think ahead to 2115 and work for that. If so, what do we want for those yet to be born?
In 1992 the Christian singer Amy Grant released an album that included the song Grown Up Christmas List. It’s a beautiful song where she asks Santa for what she wants as an adult. I believe she provides us a path for Christmas of the future with these lyrics:
No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
Everyone would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown-up Christmas list
As children we asked Santa for our desires and expected to sit down and wait. We wake up on Christmas Day and unwrapped our gifts. But as adults we recognize that our desires don’t end our role, but begin it. I believe that we all desire Amy’s list but as we are no longer passive children but active adults, we need to get to work.
Maybe we long for the passive days of childhood, but I pray we transcend those days, claim our roles as adults, and recognize that our dreams of Christmas 2115 begin today with our determination to look back to Bethlehem not with feelings of nostalgia but with feelings of determination.
Here is my prayer for Christmas 2015: That those who celebrate Christmas 2115 look back at us with gratitude. That they remember us as the generation who took seriously the call of Jesus to ensure that no lives are torn apart, that wars don’t start, that everyone has friends, that right wins, and love never ends.
OK, nobody thinks this will be done by Christmas 2016, but that’s OK. By 2016 I pray we will recognize a path that will lead to a 2115 that our descendants will see with gratitude.