Rev Fr. A. Christopher, HGN: December 2016

Christmas Homily - 2016

Rev Fr. A. Christopher, HGN

I would like to take the opportunity this Christmas season to reflect, however inadequately, on one of the most magnificent message, indeed one of the gems of the Catholic tradition; the tradition of sharing and exchanging gifts on Christmas day. However I would like to go little further and reflect to whom and with whom we should share and celebrate the Christmas meaningfully.

To celebrate the birth of Christ, we take four weeks to prepare. The four weeks of advent is usually marked with four advent candles. The four advent candles are traditionally named as Prophet's Candle, Bethlehem's Candle, Shepherd's Candle and Angel's Candle. If we look back the salvation history many have played vital role to bring forth the Messiah to the world. Among them the Prophets, Bethlehem, Shepherds and Angels too occupied very important places. They had their own role and duty in announcing and accommodating the birth of Jesus and sharing the joy and peace to the world. However all these four were one way or the other neglected people or place. The Prophets were neglected by people, Bethlehem was looked very low, Shepherds were always downtrodden people in the society and the Angels were normally forgotten by humans. But all these four either neglected or forgotten were included by Jesus in the history of his birth. The people and the society whom they neglected were the most chosen people by our Lord Jesus.

It is a bitter fact that today the world neglects such people. Now I would like to draw your attention towards the crib that we have made. Hope you all have seen the crib very closely. When we look at the crib it really brings us a kind of joy as if Jesus is indeed born in our own place. But whenever I look at a crib, it makes me a little sad, because one of my favourite person, who really deserves to get a place in the crib, is not found in that crib. Can anyone guess...? He is the owner of the stable and the manger. No one remembers him. Joseph and Mary knocked the doors of many rich and royal people to get a place for Jesus to be born. But no one offered a place. Probably Joseph and Mary’s outward poverty is the guardian of this mystery. If Joseph and Mary had looked as if they were rich, people would have made room for them in their houses or at least in the inn, because of Mary’s condition. They would have turned out other less important guests; they would have found a way to keep them. Since Joseph and Mary looked poor, they neglected them. But another poor person comes forward to offer his small cow-shed all that he had for Messiah to be born. No one knows who that person was..! Nothing about him is recorded even in the scripture. Why..? Probably because he was a very poor man and might be an outcast. That is why no one minded him and no one bothered to remember him. If it were to be a king or royal rich person offered a place in their house or palace, I am sure his name would have been known very popularly now and even his name would have found a place in the scripture.

Friends, I am not trying to find fault or blame someone now. But I would like all of us to reflect on this truth. This crib belongs to that poor person, where as we forgot him and denied a place in the crib. We just forgot and neglected him and did not mind giving him at least a corner place in his own crib. Once again I am not here to blame anybody, but trying to point out the attitude of the whole humanity. 2000 years before people had the attitude of neglecting the poor and needy and that attitude has not been changed very much even now.

We have no right to ignore or neglect the people whom Jesus chose during his birth. He chose only that poor man and his family who gave Jesus a place to be born; He chose those poor shepherds to share the first joy of his birth. The place to be born he chose was the poorest of the poor. We should and must show and share our mercy to such poor people.

Why not we make few more statues for poor owner of that stable and for his wife and children and keep them in our crib? When we look at those statues will surely think of such poor and neglected people living around us. Those statues will move us to include poor and forgotten people in our Christmas celebration.

The real happiness is in only giving. Let's try to do something practically on this Christmas day. After this vigil Mass (Day Mass) before shaking hands with our friends and known people, let's go and shake hands with unknown and especially poor people and wish them happy Christmas. During your special Christmas lunch or dinner, give a seat in your dining table to a poor man. Before sharing your colourful Christmas gifts with your family and friends, share such gifts with outcasts, downtrodden, oppressed, poor and needy. After the devastating 'Vardah' typhoon thousands of people in Southern part of India (Chennai in State of Tamil Nadu) lost everything, even their hope to restart their life. This is the right time to show our compassion towards them if we really want to celebrate the Christmas meaningfully.

Christmas is a season of giving and the measure of being a Christian is to show our love and care to others. True love consists in what we give and do for another. Buying a gift is often much easier, but sometimes just being present there and being supportive can bring so much joy and happiness to others. In some case, presence and emotional support are better than monetary and material gifts. So let us present ourselves along with the presence of God to the people who are really in need of. In our given situation today we could include just one poor person and give him a meal and cloth him. That will bring the real joy, peace and hope that Jesus brought to us today. This is how we are giving a place for the poor owner of that stable in our crib.