Mary Christmas

I've been thinking a lot about Mary lately.  

Given the recent Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and the ongoing Nativity story during Advent, it is hard not to.

Mostly I have been trying to "feel" what it must have been like for her the day the Angel Gabriel came to visit her.  

I'm trying to remove the numbness that hearing the same passage over and over brings with it.  

Trying to get past the words I have heard hundreds of times.  

Trying to forget that I know the answer in the back of the book.  

Mary was given a choice.  Say yes, or no, to a request that is almost beyond human comprehension.  

In her early teens.  

And by the way, saying "yes" to God's Will would bring with it the overwhelming threat of public humiliation and, likely, punishment by death.  (Side note ... was Mary the first person that every risked her life for Jesus?  Interesting.)

In any case, we have the luxury of knowing how the story ends.  Mary, at least to our knowledge, did not.  

She had to say yes to an idea that probably went against everything she had expected.  The Savior they had been waiting for was going to be born to a virgin?  In the poor area of Nazareth?  To her???

It was her faith against all that.  And her faith won.

May God grant all of us just a small portion of our Blessed Mother's faith ...

I hope you are all having a Blessed Advent.

My Conversation with Jesus on the Mountain

A vision popped into my mind at Mass this weekend. 

I imagined sitting on a mountain with Jesus, looking down at the town and busyness below.  

We were talking, mostly about how hard it is to keep God a priority in this day in age, and especially at Christmastime.  We read all the right passages in the Gospels, and hear all the right perspectives from our priests and religious men and women.  

But for the other 90% of the time, I told Him, it gets really hard to not get caught up in society.  From jobs to politics to buying presents, we are focused on many, many other things.  

I asked Him for a thought ... a reminder ... anything that could help me feel the right perspective.  

He motioned to the crucifix I wear around my neck, and looked at me with eyes that said "What else could you possibly need?"  

I nodded bashfully in acknowledgement.  

Then He said, "Ok, how about this ... if I were to tell you I could take you to Heaven right now, to be with me forever ... what else down there (motioning back to society) would you worry about?  What else would you care about?"

I soaked that in. 

The answer, of course, was nothing.  In fact, other than my family and friends, every other thing in my life shrunk smaller than a spec of sand.  And I actually felt it in that moment*.  I did not have another care in the world.

Just then, the gift basket at Mass arrived at my lap, and I returned to reality.  But I did not forget the example Jesus gave me, and will definitely remind myself of it often.

God Bless you.


*  I must admit, after re-reading this post, much of the feeling is lost in putting the words on paper screen.  In order to recreate the feeling, I find I need to not read it, but imagine the scenario again, and try to feel what it would be like to be in that situation.  Just reading the words is a poor substitute.  (Probably because there is a poor writer behind them!)

St. Francis and The First Nativity

As many of you probably know, St. Francis is credited with creating the first Nativity Scene during a Christmas Eve Mass.  

In 1223, he staged a live recreation of Luke's account in Greccio, Italy, to help tell the story of our Savior - and to remind people that their focus at Christmas should be on the birth of Christ, not the materialism of the world. 

(It is said that that scene was so blessed, that when the cattle ate the hay St. Francis used as a prop, they were cured of all their diseases!)

The other day I came across St. Bonaventure's version of that wondrous event and was moved by the following line:

"The Man of God [St. Francis] stood before the manger, full of devotion and piety, bathed in tears and radiant in joy..."

And that got me thinking ... how many times do I stand before a Nativity scene with that much emotion?  Do I treat each scene that I encounter with the reverence Christ's birth deserves?  Or do I treat them as just another Christmas decoration?

I pray that, during this Advent season, all of us feel the same awe and joy that St. Francis did that night.  God Bless you.

Did You Just Miss Today?

Today.

It's what passes us by while we are planning for tomorrow.

Or the weekend.

Or next week.

Or next year.  

Or when we are older/smarter/richer/less busy.

Yes indeed, we are a people that like to plan.  To think about what's next.  

Half the time we ignore what is right in front of us because it is in the way of what we perceive to be our finish line.

And you know what?  

We are missing God's beauty today.

In fact, I shudder to think about how much I have missed.  

And maybe that is why, today, on the first Sunday of Advent (ironically a time of preparation) we need to stop and smell the roses.  

To slow down our sprint to Christmas and enjoy God in this minute.

Because in our race to get all our gifts for December 25th, we are missing all of His...


May God Bless you and your families this Advent Season.

Are We Telling Our Story All Wrong?

We love to romanticize everything.
  
Clean it up. 


Make it shiny and beautiful.


We just completed the Christmas season where we sang of a beautiful star, a Holy Babe wrapped in perfect linens, and a confident, smiling Mary and Joseph.  There were angelic shepherds, and perfectly behaved, fragrant sheep and cows.  Heck, even a little kid played a catchy little ditty on his drum in the background.


As I wrote earlier, it probably didn't happen like that.


But it just feels all warm and fuzzy when we add some creative touches to it, doesn't it?  


Well, perhaps we are doing a disservice to the real story and to our religion.

Anne, who is always teaching me new things, posted an article written by Bishop Hying in which he wrote:


"We cannot romanticize the Christian narrative without decreasing its potent reality. God comes to us in all of the messiness and lunacy of the real world to save us as we are, not to redeem some idealized version of ourselves." 


I've been thinking a lot about that over the past two weeks.


The power of the Catholic story shines through most brilliantly in the ugliness of this world, not the cleaned up version of it.


God sent His only Son to us in the remoteness of Bethlehem, not the grandeur of Jerusalem.  In a crowded, smelly stable, not a lush palace. And in a world full of sin, not the perfection of Paradise.


Mary and Joseph didn't go from wedding bells to cigars and baby announcements.  They struggled with the reality of being chosen. Walked miles and miles through harsh terrain while pregnant.  Were chased after giving birth to their Son far away from the "comforts" of home.


And our Savior did not come here on a cloud and banish all His enemies from an Earthly throne.  He was born among the animals, grew up in a lowly town, and was beaten and crucified for teaching love. 


Bishop Hying is right.  Our world is not perfect.  It is ugly and full of sin. And our Salvation happened within those realities ... not in some fairy tale we cannot relate to.  


Ironically, it is through that lens that our story becomes more powerful, not less so.


(Thanks again, Anne, for that thought provoking post.)


God Bless.

Let's Jump Back 2000+ Years ...

You've been told that in just 21 days, the the Lord is coming in human form, to dwell among us.


How would you prepare?


How would you find Him?


What would you wear?  Your best outfit to show respect?  Or your most mundane one to show Him that material things don't matter?


What would you bring?  Would a gift fit for a baby be insulting to one that is also God?


What would you do when you got there?  Would you cry?  Dance? Would you be speechless?  Would you ramble on, wondering if a baby that is also a Deity could understand you?


How long would you stay?  Just a few minutes out of respect?  Or as long as you possibly could, since anywhere else you could go would pale in comparison?


Needless to say, we would all probably think long and hard about how we would get ready for such a day.


Now imagine you were about to become His Earthly parent ...


How in the world do you even begin to prepare for that?


This Advent season, as we prepare for the coming of our Savior, let us not forget the commitment Mary and Joseph made when they said "yes" to God.  And I pray the Holy Spirit gives us the strength to do the same.  


God Bless.

It's Party Time

Yesterday I was told that the sign language movement for Hallelujah involves swirling your hands while raising them up above your head.   

And, that when you watch a Mass for the deaf, when the attendees "sing" Hallelujah before they hear the Gospel reading, it looks like one big festive party.  

Which got me thinking:  That's what it should be like for everyone.  We should all get as excited to hear the Word of God as we do to go to a big party.   (written as I look in mirror)

Which got me thinking more:  With Christmas coming up in less than a week, most people are getting ready for a big party.

The question is: Is it a present-exchanging, eat-lots-of-food, drink-lots-of-wine, party...

... or a birthday party?

God Bless.

I Wonder

I wonder what it was like to go from "nobodies" to the Earthly parents of the Most Important Person Ever to Grace the Earth.  In the blink of an eye.
 
I wonder what plans Mary and Joseph had for their future - before God laid out His plan.

Speaking of, I wonder what it was like to be sitting there minding your own business only to look up and see the Angel Gabriel speaking to you.

I wonder what it was like when Mary saw that Elizabeth was indeed pregnant.

I wonder how hard it was for Joseph to believe, when human logic told him otherwise.

I wonder what it was like to travel 100 miles while very pregnant (and with a very pregnant wife). 

I wonder exactly what that nativity scene looked like.

I wonder what it was like - to wonder what it would be like - to raise the Savior of the World.

I wonder what message God is sending us by choosing such an "ordinary" family, and modest setting, for the birth of His only Son.

I hope you are enjoying the wonder of this Advent season.

God Bless.

Pregnant + Desert - Epidural = Sacrifice

I love looking at Nativity scenes.

Mary and Joseph proudly looking over their Son, who is in swaddling clothes and nestled comfortably in a manger.

Wise men on one knee, presenting gifts to the new King.

Shepherds looking on in adoration, with a sheep or camel nearby.

Maybe even a single light bulb casting a soft glow over the entire set.

Those scenes are always so peaceful, but they betray the challenges that must have led up to that perfect moment.

Take the journey, for example. Bethlehem is about 90 miles from Nazareth. That journey must have taken over 5 days given the trail and Mary's advanced pregnancy. I've never been 8+ months pregnant or on a donkey in the desert, but I have a hunch the combination is probably extremely uncomfortable. I'm sure it was also littered with bandits, treacherous hazards, and extreme temperatures.

Or what about the delivery itself? In a stable? On hay? With animals around? And no drugs?

Let's not forget eight or nine months before all that, Mary had to find the courage to tell her parents and future husband that She was pregnant. Can you imagine how that conversation went, especially after She told them the Father was God? Not only was that probably a terrifying conversation, but one that could have led to her death!

And in between, I'm sure both Mary and Joseph had to overcome serious doubts, fears and concerns. What would the Son of God look like? Was He going to come out speaking? Glowing? Was it all really happening to them? How would they know what to say to Him? Would they be able to teach Him anything at all? Would He lead Israel in some kind of war? Would He be able to fly or walk on water?

I always take for granted that I know what happened thanks to Evangelists like Luke - but Mary and Joseph were running on 100% faith.

That's why every time I see a Nativity scene, I not only reflect on the birth of our Savior, but on the incredible sacrifices Mary and Joseph made, and the inspiring faith they had.

I hope you are having a blessed Advent.


P.S. I almost signed off without reminding you that Mary and Joseph went through all of that at the tender age of 16ish.

P.P.S. Stay tuned for follow up posts entitled "How to escape to Egypt when a king wants to kill your baby" and "Traveling through the desert with a Newborn"