A Christmas reflection

This is a time for Catholics to bring joy and peace as heralds of God's coming in the flesh.

The English author and convert to the Roman Catholic Church, G. K. Chesterton, was enchanted by the feast of Christmas. For this great man of letters, it was a day of good cheer and celebration. He eagerly anticipated the feast by writing about it frequently. In one remarkable essay, “The Spirit of Christmas,” he muses, “Now Christmas is built upon a beautiful and intentional paradox, that the birth of the homeless should be celebrated in every home.”

In Bethlehem, long ago, a father and his expectant wife were denied entrance at an inn. In Saint Luke’s account of the birth of Christ, God’s glory is unexpectedly revealed in what amounts to a homeless shelter, and not among the gold and silver of a royal palace.

If we wish to understand and appreciate the humility of God, all that is necessary is to look at the infant Jesus lying in a manger, God speaks to us and answers one of life’s most fundamental questions, namely, “What is God like?”

In the human imagination, Christmas is understandably associated with vivid memories of the family home. Virtually all of us enjoy sharing memories of past Christmases with friends and relatives. We rejoice at the number of our loved ones who return home for the holiday just to be around family and friends.

Christmas is a dream for those who are sentimental. It softens the hardest of hearts and allows one to appreciate all that is marvelous and true in human life.

God truly loves us!

The late pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Troy, Father James Vaughan, enjoyed listening to a song recorded by the late vocalist, Bing Crosby, “I’ll be Home for Christmas.” The words of this popular song speak eloquently of a soldier’s desire to be reunited with his family on the most wonderful day of the year.

In his annual Christmas sermon, he would regale the congregation with his own rendition of the song. He never failed to hear his parishioners applaud his efforts to sing one of the most recorded songs of the holiday season.

What a pastor finds most impressive about the celebration of Christmas Mass are the scores of people who return to their parish church to relive precious memories of past celebrations and who relish the opportunity to experience once again the joy of the feast as either a first-time visitor or as a past and present member of the parish family.

It is taken for granted by pastors that Mass attendance increases appreciably on the eve of Christmas. A tepid Catholic acknowledges his parish church as his second home, if only for one special day.

He remains a member of the community of faith.

Even the best efforts of our secular culture to downplay the significance of Christmas cannot, and never will, suppress the joy of commemorating the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.

It is truly contagious and exhilarating.

Too many Americans experience sadness during the holiday season. If we Catholics can bring joy and peace as heralds of God’s coming in the flesh, we can achieve what the angels accomplished two thousand years ago, as they sang words of such great conciliation:

“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Father John Yanas is pastor at Sacred Heart Church in Troy.