Sermon Cloud

For many people, New Year's Eve is a time for celebration, for music, for dancing, for being with loved ones. In the midst of the reverie, I wonder how many people pause to recognize the extraordinary events that take place in the midst of ordinary circumstances. Often, God chooses people just like you and me, who have nothing special about them, to be instruments of his grace, to accomplish great things - but do we have they eyes to see the wonders that are set before us?

In the liturgical calendar, January 1 is the Feast of Mary, the Mother of God. It is also set aside as the annual World Day of Prayer for Peace. It is fitting that these two observances should fall on the same day since Mary is the model for us of one who observed and wondered about the mystery of God who chose her to be the instrument by which he would enter our world. In a world which has been characterized by war and division in Afghanistan, in Iraq and other parts of the world, we gather this day to pray for peace, and to confide our loved ones and others who pray with us to the loving protection of our Blessed Mother.

The gospel assigned for this day places us once again with the Holy Family before the crèche. We find ourselves in the company of Jesus, his parents and some rather unexpected guests. Among the first to hear the good news of the angels was not the nobility and royalty of the day, but animals in a stable and shepherds in a field.

This is the story of two normal, ordinary parents who find themselves not in a maternity ward, but surrounded by crowds of people, relegated to a stable, accompanied by oxen, at least one donkey and sheep. It was not the most sterile of surroundings, but the creator of the world was to come into the world in such a surrounding, in order that we might understand that He came for sinners, for each of us, to lead us back to author of Love by setting the example of love and forgiveness for us all.

Shepherds were present as well. This was not the most noble of professions. They didn't make mitfulls of money, but this was a necessary occupation. The irony was that these were probably the ones who would tend the sheep who would eventually be offered as sacrifices in the Temple, but shepherds themselves were considered defiled, unclean and therefore unable to offer sacrifices in the Temple for their own reparation.

In the scene of the shepherds' visit, Jesus met the lowliest and the outcasts of his day. Perhaps this scene is meant to teach us not so much about the gifts that they offered to the new-born or to his parents, but rather the gift that the Christ-child offers even today to the downtrodden. When the fullness of time had come ( Gal 4:4), God came into our world, not in the midst of pomp and pagentry but in order to bring glad tidings to the ordinary folk, and to proclaim glad tidings of great joy to all of us.

Like Mary, we too see these events take place, and ponder them in the depths of our hearts. Strange and unexpected blessings are offered to us by our God who is born for us. Let us come before him with thankful hearts. Like the shepherds, we too can then return to the regular routines of our lives, "glorifying and praising God for all we have heard and seen" (Lk 2:20).