Photo: Rust and Berries

 

Poem: “Spirits at Christmas” by John Shea

 Like God, 

bidden or unbidden, 

spirits will arrive.

For some reason 

they love Christmas.

Perhaps it is the prophesies 

about the Child.

 

They know who they are – 

friends, family, 

anyone who ever wandered 

into the welcome of our smile.

No need to set extra places at table.

They only hunger now 

for a moment of our memory.

But be assured, 

their mission is not to haunt.

 

They will not enter the usual way.

Do not listen for the doorbell.

Do not wait for a card.

Do not scan your e-mails.

Do not check spam.

They appear from inside, 

when our minds are too exhausted 

to block entry 

and we have given up 

fighting back tears.

 

Too often we push them away, 

insisting over and over again, 

“They are gone. They are gone.” 

We hug our loss to our heart.

 

Missing the point: 

they are sent 

as a hallelujah chorus 

to sing us out of this narrow box 

we mistake for the fullness of life.

Photo: Christmas Lights

 

Poem: “If You Have Nothing” by Jessica Powers

 The gesture of a gift is inadequate.

If you have nothing, laurel leaf or bay,

No flower, no seed, no apple gathered late,

Do not in desperation lay 

the beauty of your tears upon the clay.

 

No gift is proper to the Deity; 

no fruit is worthy for such power to bless.

If you have nothing, gather back your sigh, 

and with your hands held high, your heart held high, 

lift up your emptiness.

Photo: Christmas Brownstones

 

Poem: “Christmas Poem” by Mary Oliver

 Says a country legend told every year:

Go to the barn on Christmas Eve and see 

what the creatures do as that long night tips over.

Down on their knees they will go, the fire 

of an old memory whistling through their minds!

 

I went. Wrapped to my eyes against the cold

I creaked back the barn door and peered in.

From town the church bells spilled the midnight music, 

and the beasts listened – 

yet they lay in their stalls like stone.

 

Oh, the heretics!

Not to remember Bethlehem, 

or the star as bright as the sun, 

or the child born on a bed of straw! 

To know only of the dissolving Now!

 

Still they drowsed on – 

citizens of the pure, the physical world, 

they loomed on the dark: powerful 

of body, peaceful of mind, 

innocent of history.

 

Brothers! I whispered, It is Christmas! 

And you are no heretics, but a miracle, 

immaculate still as when you thundered forth 

on the morning of creation!

 

As for Bethlehem, that blazing star 

still sailed in the dark, but only one looked for me.

Caught in its light, listening again to its story, 

I curled against some sleepy beast, who nuzzled 

my hair as though I were a child, and warmed me 

the best it could all night.

 

Adapted slightly.

Poem: “There’s a Song in the Air” by J. G. Holland (American 1819-1881)

 There’s a song in the air!

There’s a star in the sky!

There’s a mother’s deep prayer

And a baby’s low cry!

And the star rains its fire while the beautiful sing

For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King!

 

There’s a tumult of joy

O’er the wonderful birth,

For the Virgin’s sweet boy

Is the Lord of the earth.

Ay! The star rains its fire while the beautiful sing

For the manger of Bethlehem cradles a King!

 

In the light of that star

Lie the ages impearled;

And that song from afar

Has swept over the world.

Every heath is aflame, and the beautiful sing

In the homes of the nations that Jesus is King!

 

We rejoice in the light,

And we echo the song

That came down thro’ the night

From the heavenly throng.

Ay! We shout to the lovely evangel they bring,

And we greet in His cradle our Savior and King.

What faith requires: The Family of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary 2024

                                                          What faith requires:

The Family of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary 2024 

December 29, 2024

www.johnpredmoresj.com | predmore.blogspot.com

predmoresj@yahoo.com | 617.510.9673

1 Samuel 1:20-28; Psalm 84; 1 John 3:1-24 Luke 2:41-52

 

It is no surprise that the event of Jesus at the Temple occurs during Passover because this feast bookends his life’s work. His consciousness of ministry begins at the Temple during Passover, and his final moments are at the Temple during the feast of deliverance when he practices the obedience of faith. An important take-away from this passage is that Jesus needed to return to Nazareth with Joseph and Mary because from them, they would learn obedience, and the reason Jesus saves us is because of his obedience to faith. His family had to teach him about the discerning choices one makes in daily life and the sacrifices that families make to advance the common good of each person and of society. The Gospels do not tell us much about these intervening years because he is learning what sacrifice requires. The harder decisions are when one foregoes one’s own desires for the benefit of another in need.

 

Our families first and foremost teach us about unconditional love and the care and patience we have for one another. We learn to move away from selfishness to outward concern, and as we mature, we learn that this outward movement is the only satisfying way forward and it is the only God-like way. In today’s world, we see those who act out of selfish desires, and we know we must be patient with them. A Me-First or an I-deserve-respect attitude reveals a worldview that is not yet enlarged. A small world reveals a small faith. A small faith reveals a small world. Jesus had to learn from his family that concern for others is an essential condition of faith. 

 

Faith calls us to move outward and to expand our social and cultural awareness. It is important for us to be in situations where our hearts are stressed because we cannot adequately care for others. Faith never lets us be comfortable staying in a small world wishing for a better, easier, idealized society of our youth. We must dismantle those illusions we have about the way life should be so we can deal with reality – just as it is. This is authentic. This is looking at the hard realities of life and saying, “I must choose to participate in the solutions, rather than blaming and faulting other people. I must put my expanding love in action.”

 

For Catholics, we must see that we are in an essential moment of chance. The Pope just inaugurated a few days ago the Jubilee of Hope, and a key aspect of this jubilee is that we see ecumenism and Christian unity as a way forward. Catholics must transcend themselves if faith is to mean anything. It means that we see our Protestant siblings as brothers and sisters, and not someone other than us. We must see Hindus, Sikhs, Muslims, and Jews as siblings as well. We must see migrants, undocumented people, and someone from a different race as essentially equal in dignity as fellow pilgrims. This is the human, holy family of Jesus – and to us. Faith always calls upon us to expand our categories of care and hospitality. Faith transcends our human categorization and points towards the divine. It always propels us outward – through all our fears and vulnerabilities – until we are no longer fearful, finally more trusting. This is what obedience of faith requires of us today.  

 

Perhaps this week we might want to think about how our love, tolerance, and understanding needs to grow. We consider where and how we can be more loving. What does our obedience of faith requires us to do to expand our circle of care and consciousness? The world depends upon your answer.

 

Scripture for Daily Mass

First Reading: 

Monday: (1 John 3) We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit.

 

 

Tuesday: (1 John 4) Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us.

 

Wednesday: (1 John 4) Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God.
Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us.

 

Thursday: (1 John 4) If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 

 

Friday (1 John 5) Who is the victor of this world? The one who believes in Jesus, who came through water and Blood, and the Spirit testifies to him.   

 

Saturday (1 John 5) We have confidence that if we ask anything according to his will, God hears us.

 

Gospel: 

Monday: (Matthew 4) He went around all of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people.

 

Tuesday: (Mark 6) When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late.

 

Wednesday (Mark 6) After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And when he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to pray. 

 

Thursday (Luke 4) Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.

 

Friday (Luke 5) It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” 

 

Saturday (John 3) Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing. John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized, for John had not yet been imprisoned.

 

Saints of the Week

 

December 29: Thomas Becket, bishop and martyr (1118-1170), was the lord chancellor and archbishop of Canterbury in England during the time of King Henry II. When he disagreed with the King over the autonomy of the church and state, he was exiled to France. When he returned, he clashed again with the king who had him murdered in Canterbury Cathedral.  

 

December 29: The Family of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, was a feast instituted in 1921. It was originally the 3rd Sunday after Christmas. The Holy Family is often seen in Renaissance paintings - and many of those are of the flight into Egypt. 

 

December 31: Sylvester I, pope (d. 335), served the church shortly after Constantine issued his Edict of Milan in 313 that publicly recognized Christianity as the official religion of the empire and provided it freedom of worship. Large public churches were built by the emperor and other benefactors. Sylvester was alive during the Council of Nicaea but did not attend because of old age.

 

January 2: Basil the Great and Gregory Nanzianzen, bishops and doctors (fourth century), are two of the four great doctors of the Eastern Church. They are known for their preaching especially against the Arian heretics. Basil began as a hermit before he was named archbishop of Caesarea. He influenced Gregory who eventually became archbishop of Constantinople. Their teachings influenced both the Roman and Eastern Churches.

 

January 3: The Name of Jesus was given to the infant as the angel foretold. In the Mediterranean world, the naming of person stood for the whole person. Humans were given the power to name during the Genesis creation accounts. If one honors the name of the person, they honor the person. The name Jesus means “Yahweh saves.”

 

January 4: Elizabeth Ann Seton, religious (1774-1821), was born into an Episcopalian household where she married and had five children. When her husband died, she became a Catholic and founded a girls’ school in Baltimore. She then founded the Sisters of Charity and began the foundation for the parochial school system in the U.S. She is the first native-born American to be canonized.

This Week in Jesuit History

 

• December 29, 1886. Publication of the beatification decree of the English martyrs. 
• December 30, 1564. Letter from Pope Pius IV to Daniel, Archbishop of Mayence, deploring the malicious and scurrilous pamphlets published against the Society throughout Germany and desiring him to use his influence against the evil. 
• December 31, 1640. John Francis Regis died. He was a missionary to the towns and villages of the remote mountains of southern France. 
• January 1, 1598: Fr. Alphonsus Barréna, surnamed the Apostle of Peru, died. He was the first to carry the faith to the Guaranis and Chiquitos in Paraguay. 
• January 2, 1619: At Rome, John Berchmans and Bartholomew Penneman, his companion scholastic from Belgium, entered the Roman College. 
• January 3, 1816: Fr. General Brzozowski and 25 members of the Society, guarded by soldiers, left St. Petersburg, Russia, having been banished by the civil government. 
• January 4, 1619: The English mission is raised to the status of a province.

Lo que la fe exige: La Familia de Jesús, José y María 2024

                                                               Lo que la fe exige:

La Familia de Jesús, José y María 2024

29 de diciembre de 2024

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predmoresj@yahoo.com | 617.510.9673

1 Samuel 1:20-28; Salmo 84; 1 Juan 3:1-24; Lucas 2:41-52

 

No es de extrañar que el acontecimiento de Jesús en el Templo tenga lugar durante la Pascua, porque esta fiesta marca el final de su vida. Su conciencia de ministerio comienza en el Templo durante la Pascua, y sus momentos finales son en el Templo durante la fiesta de la liberación, cuando practica la obediencia de la fe. Una enseñanza importante de este pasaje es que Jesús necesitaba regresar a Nazaret con José y María porque de ellos aprenderían la obediencia, y la razón por la que Jesús nos salva es por su obediencia a la fe. Su familia tuvo que enseñarle acerca de las decisiones de discernimiento que uno hace en la vida diaria y los sacrificios que las familias hacen para promover el bien común de cada persona y de la sociedad. Los Evangelios no nos dicen mucho acerca de estos años intermedios porque él está aprendiendo lo que requiere el sacrificio. Las decisiones más difíciles son cuando uno renuncia a sus propios deseos en beneficio de otro necesitado.

 

Nuestras familias nos enseñan, ante todo, el amor incondicional y el cuidado y la paciencia que tenemos unos con otros. Aprendemos a alejarnos del egoísmo y a interesarnos por los demás, y a medida que maduramos, aprendemos que este movimiento hacia el exterior es la única manera satisfactoria de avanzar y es la única manera de ser como Dios. En el mundo de hoy, vemos a quienes actúan movidos por deseos egoístas y sabemos que debemos ser pacientes con ellos. Una actitud de “yo primero” o de “yo merezco respeto” revela una cosmovisión que aún no se ha ampliado. Un mundo pequeño revela una fe pequeña. Una fe pequeña revela un mundo pequeño. Jesús tuvo que aprender de su familia que el interés por los demás es una condición esencial de la fe.

 

La fe nos llama a salir al exterior y a ampliar nuestra conciencia social y cultural. Es importante que estemos en situaciones en las que nuestro corazón esté estresado porque no podemos cuidar adecuadamente de los demás. La fe nunca nos permite sentirnos cómodos en un mundo pequeño deseando una sociedad mejor, más fácil e idealizada como la de nuestra juventud. Debemos desmantelar esas ilusiones que tenemos sobre cómo debería ser la vida para poder enfrentar la realidad, tal como es. Esto es auténtico. Esto es mirar las duras realidades de la vida y decir: “Debo elegir participar en las soluciones, en lugar de culpar y culpar a otras personas. Debo poner en acción mi amor en expansión”.

 

Para los católicos, debemos ver que estamos en un momento de oportunidad esencial. El Papa inauguró hace unos días el Jubileo de la Esperanza, y un aspecto clave de este jubileo es que vemos el ecumenismo y la unidad cristiana como un camino a seguir. Los católicos deben trascenderse a sí mismos para que la fe signifique algo. Esto significa que debemos ver a nuestros hermanos protestantes como hermanos y hermanas, y no como alguien distinto a nosotros. Debemos ver a los hindúes, sikhs, musulmanes y judíos también como hermanos. Debemos ver a los migrantes, a las personas indocumentadas y a alguien de una raza diferente como esencialmente iguales en dignidad a nuestros compañeros peregrinos. Esta es la familia humana y sagrada de Jesús, y para nosotros. La fe siempre nos llama a ampliar nuestras categorías de atención y hospitalidad. La fe trasciende nuestra categorización humana y apunta hacia lo divino. Siempre nos impulsa hacia afuera, a través de todos nuestros miedos y vulnerabilidades, hasta que ya no tengamos miedo y finalmente confiemos más. Esto es lo que la obediencia de la fe requiere de nosotros hoy.

 

Tal vez esta semana queramos pensar en cómo debemos crecer en nuestro amor, tolerancia y comprensión. Consideramos dónde y cómo podemos ser más amorosos. ¿Qué nos exige nuestra obediencia a la fe para ampliar nuestro círculo de cuidado y conciencia? El mundo depende de tu respuesta.

 

Escritura para la misa diaria

Primera lectura: 

Lunes: (1 Juan 3) Nosotros somos de Dios, y el que conoce a Dios nos escucha, mientras que el que no es de Dios no nos escucha. Así es como conocemos el espíritu de la verdad y el espíritu del engaño.

 

 

Martes: (1 Juan 4) Amados, amémonos unos a otros, porque el amor es de Dios; todo aquel que ama ha nacido de Dios y conoce a Dios. El que no ama no conoce a Dios, porque Dios es amor. En esto se nos reveló el amor de Dios.

 

Miércoles: (1 Juan 4) Amados, si Dios nos ha amado así, también nosotros debemos amarnos unos a otros. A Dios nadie lo ha visto jamás. 
Sin embargo, si nos amamos unos a otros, Dios permanece en nosotros y su amor se perfecciona en nosotros.

 

Jueves: (1 Juan 4) Si alguno dice: «Yo amo a Dios», pero odia a su hermano, es un mentiroso. Pues el que no ama a su hermano a quien ha visto, no puede amar a Dios a quien no ha visto.

 

Viernes (1 Juan 5) ¿Quién es el vencedor de este mundo? El que cree en Jesús, que vino por el agua y la Sangre, y el Espíritu da testimonio de él.

 

Sábado (1 Juan 5) Tenemos confianza en que si pedimos alguna cosa conforme a su voluntad, Dios nos oye.

 

Evangelio:

Lunes: (Mateo 4) Jesús recorrió toda Galilea, 
enseñando en las sinagogas de ellos, predicando el evangelio del Reino y sanando toda enfermedad y dolencia en el pueblo.

 

Martes: (Marcos 6) Cuando Jesús vio a la multitud, su corazón se compadeció de ellos, porque eran como ovejas sin pastor; y comenzó a enseñarles muchas cosas. Para entonces ya era tarde y sus discípulos se acercaron a él y le dijeron: "Este es un lugar desierto y ya es muy tarde.

 

Miércoles (Marcos 6) Después de que los cinco mil habían comido y se habían saciado, Jesús hizo que sus discípulos subieran a la barca y lo precedieran hasta la otra orilla, hacia Betsaida, mientras él despedía a la multitud. Y cuando se despidió de ellos, se fue al monte a orar.

 

Jueves (Lucas 4) Jesús regresó a Galilea en el poder del Espíritu, y su fama se extendió por toda la región. Enseñó en las sinagogas y fue alabado por todos.

 

Viernes (Lucas 5) Sucedió que en uno de los pueblos donde estaba Jesús había un hombre lleno de lepra; y cuando vio a Jesús, cayó sobre sus rodillas, le suplicó y le dijo: «Señor, si quieres, puedes limpiarme».

 

Sábado (Juan 3) Jesús y sus discípulos fueron a la región de Judea, donde estuvo algún tiempo con ellos bautizando. Juan también bautizaba en Enón, cerca de Salim, porque allí había abundante agua, y la gente venía a bautizarse, pues Juan aún no había sido encarcelado.

 

Santos de la semana

 

29 de diciembre: Thomas Becket, obispo y mártir (1118-1170), fue canciller y arzobispo de Canterbury en Inglaterra durante la época del rey Enrique II. Cuando discrepó con el rey sobre la autonomía de la Iglesia y el Estado, fue exiliado a Francia. Cuando regresó, se enfrentó nuevamente con el rey, quien lo hizo asesinar en la Catedral de Canterbury.

 

29 de diciembre: La Familia de José, María y Jesús , fue una fiesta instituida en 1921. Originalmente se celebraba el tercer domingo después de Navidad. La Sagrada Familia suele verse en pinturas renacentistas, y muchas de ellas representan la huida a Egipto.

 

31 de diciembre: Silvestre I, papa (fallecido en 335), sirvió a la Iglesia poco después de que Constantino emitiera su Edicto de Milán en 313, que reconocía públicamente al cristianismo como religión oficial del imperio y le otorgaba libertad de culto. El emperador y otros benefactores construyeron grandes iglesias públicas. Silvestre estaba vivo durante el Concilio de Nicea, pero no asistió debido a su avanzada edad.

 

2 de enero : Basilio el Grande y Gregorio Nanzianzen , obispos y doctores (siglo IV), son dos de los cuatro grandes doctores de la Iglesia de Oriente. Son conocidos por su predicación especialmente contra los herejes arrianos. Basilio comenzó como eremita antes de ser nombrado arzobispo de Cesarea. Influyó en Gregorio, quien finalmente se convirtió en arzobispo de Constantinopla. Sus enseñanzas influyeron tanto en la Iglesia romana como en la oriental.

 

3 de enero: El nombre de Jesús fue dado al infante como lo predijo el ángel. En el mundo mediterráneo, el nombre de una persona representaba a la persona en su totalidad. A los humanos se les dio el poder de poner nombre durante los relatos de la creación del Génesis. Si uno honra el nombre de la persona, honra a la persona. El nombre Jesús significa “Yahvé salva”.

 

4 de enero: Elizabeth Ann Seton, religiosa (1774-1821), nació en una familia episcopal, donde se casó y tuvo cinco hijos. Cuando murió su esposo, se convirtió al catolicismo y fundó una escuela para niñas en Baltimore. Luego fundó las Hermanas de la Caridad y comenzó a sentar las bases del sistema escolar parroquial en los EE. UU. Es la primera estadounidense nativa en ser canonizada.

Esta semana en la historia de los jesuitas

 

• 29 de diciembre de 1886. Publicación del decreto de beatificación de los mártires ingleses.
• 30 de diciembre de 1564. Carta del Papa Pío IV a Daniel, arzobispo de Maguncia , deplorando los panfletos maliciosos y difamatorios publicados contra la Sociedad en toda Alemania y deseándole que use su influencia contra el mal.
• 31 de diciembre de 1640. Falleció John Francis Regis, misionero en los pueblos y aldeas de las remotas montañas del sur de Francia.
• 1 de enero de 1598: muere el padre Alfonso Barrena , llamado el Apóstol del Perú, quien fue el primero en llevar la fe a los guaraníes y chiquitos del Paraguay.
• 2 de enero de 1619: En Roma, Juan Berchmans y Bartholomew Penneman , su compañero de estudios de Bélgica, ingresaron en el Colegio Romano.
• 3 de enero de 1816: El Padre General Brzozowski y 25 miembros de la Sociedad, custodiados por soldados, abandonaron San Petersburgo, Rusia, después de haber sido desterrados por el gobierno civil.
• 4 de enero de 1619: La misión inglesa es elevada a la categoría de provincia.

Photo: Unto Us a Son is Born

 

Poem: “Where is Christmas?” Author unknown, found online

 I have seen Christmas

… in mischievous grins of secret Santas,

… in multitudes of colored, twinkling lights,

… in hundreds of crimson poinsettias.

Where have you seen Christmas?

 

I have heard Christmas

… in high-pitched squeals of tiny ones waiting to see St. Nick.

… in whispered holiday secrets.

… in sacred songs sung only at yuletide.

Where have you heard Christmas?

 

I have tasted Christmas

… in rich plum pudding, drizzled with rum sauce.

… in frosted sugar cookies.

… in sticky peppermint candy canes.

Where have you tasted Christmas?

 

I have smelled Christmas

… in clove, cinnamoned steaming wassail.

… in pungent evergreen trees.

… in roasting turkey, browning in the oven.

Where have you smelled Christmas?

 

I have touched Christmas

… in the doorway under mistletoe with my sweetheart.

… in the velvet touch of a new holiday dress.

… in the squeeze of my son’s hand as we listened to “Silent Night.”

Where have you touched Christmas?

Christmas Day

Christmas Day:

December 25, 2024

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Isaiah 9:1-6; Psalm 96; Timothy 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14

 

            Merry Christmas. This is a night of wonder, a time of great mystery. We hear about Joseph and his pregnant wife journeying to Bethlehem to comply with the Roman census. Jesus is born on a starry night that led shepherds from the surrounding hills to acknowledge the child who is believed to be God. Wise men from the East see the star and are guided to the stable. The universe is aligned to receive this child, born in obscurity, in shabby conditions, when the immensity of God enters human time, when the God of the cosmos is revealed for all peoples. God has become flesh for all creation, and we still live in creation’s dawn when the morning stars will sing together, and our earth, while still being made, becomes more beautiful each day.

           We Christians celebrate the Nativity, also called the Incarnation, because God, through Jesus, takes on human flesh, and because of that, all humanity is raised to a new dignity. Jesus taught his followers about the One he called Father, Abba, and he lets them know that his Father can now be regarded as our Father, Parent, as well. We have found favor with God. We experience a union with God, where our lives are mingled with that of Christ, and it is no longer we who live, but Christ living within us. This is the reason we sing songs like Silent Night, Joy to the World, and songs of Comfort and Joy. All creation has been brought into reconciled union, which gives us pause, which slows us down, where we can take a moment in stillness within the quiet.

           We are raised to a new dignity of being. We are luminous beings, made of both spirit and starlight, bearers of the light of love, who has entered the world. Through our love, darkness is driven away. Through our courage to ask for forgiveness and to engage in reconciling work, we participate in God’s project of union and communion. We are different today than we were yesterday, and we choose love, hope, and goodwill as our way of life. 

           We visit family and loved ones and we raise them up in dignity. We hold them in higher esteem because of this day, and we leave behind our judgments and experiences, as we grasp onto hope and the promise of new beginnings. Each day is an encounter of the God who was born to us, the love that is freely given. Our hearts are lighter because God has healed them, and helped them to open more widely, and we sincerely seek communion with others. We even spend time in nature because we sense the harmony God desires for us. 

         So, when we go to our gatherings or make our visits and we greet each person, let’s take some time, pause, look them squarely in the eyes, and as you do so, wish them the peace, comfort, and joy of this day. Let them know that you care for them and appreciate them, especially when the spark of life has been dimmed a little. Let God revive the love that once was there. We have been raised, we are luminous beings, and the God of love has been born into our hearts. We stand at the dawn of a new day, a new creation, and our voices are filled with the song of the angels, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace to people of goodwill.” 

Feliz Navidad

Feliz Navidad. Esta noche es una noche de maravillas, un gran misterio. Hemos escuchado la historia de José y María caminando hacia Belén para el censo romano. Jesús nace en una noche estrellada. Los pastores vienen a ver al niño que se cree que es Dios. Los Reyes Magos de Oriente ven la estrella. El universo se alinea. Este niño, nacido en la oscuridad, en condiciones pobres, es el momento en que Dios entra en el tiempo humano. El Dios del cosmos se revela para todos. Dios se hizo carne para toda la creación. Vivimos en el amanecer de la creación cuando las estrellas de la mañana cantarán juntas, y nuestra tierra, mientras aún se está creando, se vuelve más hermosa cada día.

Celebramos la Natividad, llamada la Encarnación, porque Dios, a través de Jesús, se hace humano, y somos elevados a una nueva dignidad. Tenemos el favor de Dios. Experimentamos una unión con Dios. Ya no somos nosotros los que vivimos, sino Cristo que vive dentro de nosotros. Esta es la razón por la que cantamos canciones como Noche de paz, Alegría para el mundo y canciones de consuelo y alegría. Toda la creación se reconcilia. Hacemos una pausa. Disminuimos la velocidad y nos sentamos en silencio en medio del silencio.

Somos elevados a una nueva dignidad. Somos seres luminosos, tanto espíritu como luz de estrella. Llevamos la luz del amor, que nace hoy. A través de nuestro amor, la oscuridad desaparece. Perdonamos y nos reconciliamos al participar en el plan de unión y comunión de Dios. Somos diferentes hoy que ayer porque elegimos el amor, la esperanza y la buena voluntad como nuestra forma de vida.

 

Visitamos a la familia y a los seres queridos y los criamos con dignidad. Los tenemos en alta estima por este día. Dejamos atrás los juicios y las experiencias porque nos aferramos a la esperanza y a los nuevos comienzos. Cada día nos encontramos con Dios que nació para nosotros. Nuestros corazones son más ligeros porque Dios los ha sanado y los ha abierto más ampliamente. Buscamos sinceramente la comunión con los demás. Incluso pasamos tiempo en la naturaleza porque Dios nos trae armonía.

 

Visitamos a la familia y saludamos a cada persona con dignidad. Mientras lo hacemos, hacemos una pausa, los miramos directamente a los ojos y les deseamos paz, consuelo y alegría. Les decimos que nos preocupamos por ellos, especialmente cuando el amor se ha apagado. Dios reaviva el amor nuevamente. Hemos resucitado. Somos seres luminosos. El Dios del amor ha nacido en nuestros corazones. Nos encontramos en el amanecer de un nuevo día, y nuestras voces están llenas del canto de los ángeles: “Gloria a Dios en las alturas y paz a los hombres de buena voluntad”.

Photo: Gloria in Excelsis Deo

 

Spirituality: The birth of Christ, Oscar Romero

 With Christ, God has injected himself into history. With the birth of Christ, God’s reign is now inaugurated in human time. 

On this night, as every year for twenty centuries, we recall that God’s reign is now in this world and that Christ has inaugurated the fullness of time. His birth attests that God is now marching with us in history, that we do not go alone. 

Humans long for peace, for justice, for a reign of divine law, for something holy, for what is far from earth’s realities. We can have such a hope, not because we ourselves are able to construct the realm of happiness that God’s holy words proclaim, but because the builder of a reign of justice, of love, and of peace is already in the midst of us. 

DECEMBER 25, 1977

Photo: Tree and Tabernacle

 

Poem: “To Know the Dark” by Wendell Berry

To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.

Photo: Church at Night during the Solstice

 

Poem: “White Eyes” by Mary Oliver

 In winter 

all the singing is in 

the tops of the trees 

where the wind-bird 

 

with its white eyes 

shoves and pushes 

among the branches. 

Like any of us 

 

he wants to go to sleep, 

but he is restless – 

he has an idea, 

and slowly it unfolds 

 

from under his beating wings 

as long as he stays awake. 

But his big, round music, after all, 

is too breathy to least. 

 

So, it’s over. 

In the pine-crown 

he makes his nest, 

he’s done all he can. 

I don’t know the name of this bird, 

I only imagine his glittering beak 

tucked in a white wing 

while the clouds – 

 

which he has summoned 

from the north – 

which he has taught 

to be mild, and silent – 

 

thicken, and begin to fall 

into the world below 

like stars, or the feathers 

of some unimaginable bird 

 

that loves us, 

that is asleep now, and silent – 

that has turned itself 

into snow.