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Words from the Pastor |
The cardinal was addressing a meeting of
local priests "I've got good news and bad
news," he said. "The good news is that God
called me last night, and basically, everything
is all right. The bad news is that she called
from Salt Lake City."
--The Big Book of New American Humor
(New York: Harper Collins publishers, 1990), 218.
Have you ever noticed how often we humans blame God for everything bad or difficult in our lives? We might say that church can be boring, but we rarely accuse God of being boring! After twenty-six years as a priest I've heard plenty of blame against God, though I expect I'll hear more in years to come. Of course, God gets blamed for all the big events of life: earthquakes, famine, flood, disease and death. But, believe it or not, God gets blamed for lousy pastors, bounced checks, burnt dinners, bad relationships, bossy coworkers, broken promises, screaming kids, and moody teenagers. Don't we often feel that when people and problems in our lives get too difficult, too big, too messy, too overwhelming, that is when we feel God has abandoned us?
The next few days before Christmas Eve are hectic, hurried, and crazy as we try to do all those last minute things to make Christmas wonderful. It's going to be during the next few days that God's presence is going to be felt. When life seems the hardest or most chaotic, then we really think about God. And why do we think about God when life is the hearest or most difficult? Because, that's where God can be found. God comes when we most need God, and that is when we feel the presence of life, or the lack of life.
On Christmas we recall that our Lord, Jesus, was born in a stable. A small, messy, cramped place. It's that last place we would expect to find a new born. What was God thinking? Have you ever gone out to a barn where animals are kept? The animals are dirty, the straw is mucky, there is vermin, it's messy because animals spill their grain, there are unpleasant smells, and why birth a baby there? Maybe the mess is the message. Maybe the gospel writers are telling us that there is absolutely no place in our live or in our world that is too messy, too outcast, too ugly, that God cannot be found and make-a-home-with-us.
Just a few more days, and now we find ourselves running out of time, out of patience, out of money, out of ideas. This is supposed to be a holiday--time off-- time away from all our responsibilities. Why all the pressure? Why can't we have a simple, old fashioned Christmas like Grandma used to make? We need a little Christmas cheer!
There's too much to do. You're really busy, and all of a sudden, when you feel like having a nervous breakdown, God draws close to you, to your heart. What should you do? Simply open up to the love of God, exalt in it, and let God do great things for you, like God did for Mary.
Enjoy every last minute of this crazy season...all twelve days of Christmas.
Why not?
Week of December 20, 1998
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