Christmas and Holy Family

This is a combination of my reflections from Christmas and the Feast of Holy Family:

Christmas night is radiant with Light, Radiant with Hope, it is filled with joy: JOY-FULL.  In this dark time of year we celebrate the coming of Christ the Light - the light conquers the darkness

Light from LightTrue God from True GodBegotten – not madeBorn of the Virgin Mary

Last Saturday I was busily wrapping gifts for My family for Christmas. Fr. David looked – and I imagine he might have thought

“Blessed is he who knows few peopleFor they will spend less time wrapping gifts…”

Yet it was in the midst of that afternoon of tedious wrapping that I was aware of my Joy in being able to give different gifts:

• Noise cancelling headphones – for a nephew flying to China
• Hockey Tickets for my other nephew & Brother in law

And if I had this much Joy in such little things – how much more Joy God must have in gifting us! Giving us life!
On Christmas we hear the familiar Story of God’s Presence – Presence with a C.  And while for many its about Celebrating Presents with a T (under the tree) there is nothing wrong with any of those T presents - yet we need to remember the ultimate presence – with a C is Jesus – here – in our midst TODAY

God – is not watching us from a distance… God is right here in the midst of our lives in our joy – in our sorrow – in our difficulties and stresses, in our hoping and our longing – GOD is HERE

Christ Jesus – here – in our midst TODAY In each other – in you and Me – In the word proclaimed, And here on this altar – in Bread and Wine - the very Body and Blood of Jesus – the Christ – the longed for Messiah – God’s own Presence with a C.

In Christmas we celebrate the marriage of heaven and earth and pray that we may come to share in the divinity of Christ who has humbled himself to share in our humanity.

-------------------------------------------------

You have read my reflections on wrapping Gifts & Joy.

And well - if you know me at all - I can be 1 dimensional. So why were these gifts wrapped on Saturday? No, I’m not that organized, I am the master of "Just in time" delivery. I wrapped them on Saturday because my Dad was coming Saturday Night to pick up my brother, his wife, and their son who were flying into Toronto Airport from Shanghai, China. So we had talked about Dad taking the gifts back to Kingston – in his van where there is more room – and my Ford Escape would be less crammed on Christmas Day with my Sister, my Brother in law, and my other nephew.

I texted him while he was stopped at Wendy's Saturday afternoon for a snack – everything was in the back of my Escape - he could even have a bottle of washer fluid.  He texted back - his next stop was for some Salt.  So I asked him to get some for the Church.

He came into mass and announced that Bolton had NO SALT, and that he didn’t need windshield washer fluid.

He was in a rush after Mass to get to the Airport. (Even thought the plane was landing at 6:45 pm - and they would be another hour before getting through immigration and luggage pick-up.

I go out after Mass and look in the back of my vehicle and what is there – all the wrapped GIFTS! What the heck??? So I slam the hatch window shut - and it shatters into 1000 pieces all over the gifts…(that were not supposed to be there!) I was so mad at my Dad… look at what HE now puts on me!

So I call him – and start off asking about the presents. What gives? Why did he not take them? He was completely oblivious - completely forgot about them...  

And in the first reading we hear:

My child, help your father in his old age,
   and do not grieve him as long as he lives;
even if his mind fails, be patient with him

Families. Incredible things. A place where we are accepted, loved, nurtured,  &  lovingly tested.  Its really all about Balance. They both give us balance & call us to Balance.

If you think about it - we get all worked up and angry with family members because they matter,  because  we love them.

Getting angry with someone is a sign that we love them!   

Years ago on the west coast - I visited a Giant Sequoia Forest. The guide said that the roots of the sequoia are very shallow. That was a surprise. How could such gigantic trees stand up with shallow roots? The first wind would knock them over - right?  The guide explained that the Sequioas interconnect their roots and their branches - then when there is fierce wind, they interlock & support each other. 

What a lovely image for this Family of Faith: Holy Family Parish.

Even if our own families have not provided the security and balance we need, here gathered at the table of the Lord, we can be interconnected in our roots and our branches - and thus hold each other up when we are buffeted by the winds of life!

Peace