A Novel Christmas

Seeing how a pandemic cannot prevent the joy of Jesus

12/06/2020

Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11 Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins. Go up on to a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news! Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care.

Last week I received a funny email from a priest-friend, Fr. William Wewers, pastor in Clarksville. His email put a smile on my face and reminded me of something Pope Francis said recently. In his 2018 apostolic exhortation called “Rejoice and be glad” the smiling pope pointed out: “Far from being timid, or melancholy, or putting on a dreary face, the saints are joyful and full of good humor” (Gaudate et exultate, 122). Let me share some of the good humor Fr. Wewers shared with me in his email, so we can all be saints with a smile today.

The email was a list of short prayers by small children. Joyce said: “Dear God, thank you for my baby brother, but what I prayed for was a puppy.” So, be careful praying for a puppy! Sam prayed: “Dear God, I want to be just like my daddy when I get big, but not with so much hair all over.” Elliott prayed: “Dear God, I think about you sometimes, even when I’m not praying.” By the way, I want to be like Elliott when I grow up, and think about God even when I’m not praying. Nan said: “Dear God, I bet it is very hard for you to love all the people in the world. There are only four people in my family and I can never do it!” I feel Nan’s pain. I hope those prayers put a little smile on your face because as the pope said, “saints are joyful and full of good humor.”

Our first reading is taken from the beginning of the second half of the book of Isaiah, often called “The Book of Comfort.” Why? Well, the first half of Isaiah – chapters 1-39 – is full of doom and gloom, judgment and punishment and suffering for sins. But the second half – chapters 40-66 – is called "The Book of Consolation." That is why Isaiah 40:1 begins with these loving lines: “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God.”

How exactly will God comfort his people? We read a little later in verse 9: “Go up on to a high mountain, Zion, herald of glad tidings; cry out at the top of your voice, Jerusalem, herald of good news.” In other words, what makes the glad tidings “glad” and the good news so “good,” is that it is filled with joy, and ultimately, it will be filled with the joy of Jesus who comes at Christmas. The Good News of salvation, therefore, should always put a smile on our face, a little like that email did, because we feel the joy of Jesus.

My friends, may I suggest that this Advent and Christmas seasons we try to keep the joy of Jesus uppermost in our minds? This Christmas will be like no other with the coronavirus still casting a large, dark shadow over the whole world. People are feeling more stress and anxiety than ever. Let me suggest a few ways we can be saints with a smile this Christmas. Last week Fr. Daniel and I heard the confessions of our school children. One priest commented that hearing children’s confessions is like being pelted with popcorn; they are so innocent. After hearing their confessions, I told them: “I am so proud of you for making such good, humble confessions, and God is proud of you, too! We all make mistakes, so just do the best you can every day.” Instead of criticizing them for what they did wrong, I tried to compliment then for what they did right. Confession is supposed to comfort us, and help us to feel the joy of Jesus.

Another suggestion: be flexible and patient with family traditions around the holidays, especially when you have to do things differently. My family could not be together for Thanksgiving, like many of your families. So my brother had two steak dinners delivered to my parents’ home in Little Rock. My parents in turn mailed me overnight home-cooked Indian food. I got the better end of that bargain. My family was not together physically but we were united spiritually in prayer, love and good food. Isn’t that what we experience at every Mass, where the Communion of Saints is not present physically, but they are spiritually, and we share love, prayer and good Food, namely, the Eucharist. This holiday season look at your family traditions through the eyes of faith, and you might get a glimpse of heaven on earth, and taste the joy of Jesus.

A third suggestion: I am a little worried about over-crowding at the Christmas Masses this year, especially with the social distancing requirements. We are always full at midnight Mass – which is normally a wonderful problem to have! But we might have to turn some people away this year, in order to keep everyone safe. It will feel like the first Christmas, when there was no room in the inn! Try not to lose your temper, and keep your peace and your poise, and remember the real reason for the season: the birthday of Christ, who was left out in the cold at Christmas. As you drive home in the dark, maybe you will discover the joy of Jesus in a new way this year.

This year Christmas may look a little different than in years past. But a pandemic cannot prevent us from finding the joy of Jesus, which always remains the reason for the season. The novel coronavirus this year only means we will have a novel Christmas.

Praised be Jesus Christ!