Zig Zag

Seeing how God works through the minority

Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

The people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove.  And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

          As a Christian, do you ever feel a little out of step with the world around you? That is, when everyone else goes “zig” do you tend to go “zag”? Archbishop Fulton Sheen captured this concept by saying, “God always works through the minority, never through the majority.” You might almost say that God prefers “the minority report” rather than “the majority report.” Recently, I conducted an informal survey of when people took down their Christmas decorations. Do you know what day the majority of people took down their trees and tinsel? It was December 26. Does that seem a little odd to you? Well, it should! Why? Well because Christmas – that special season in the church calendar – only begins on December 25, and that season doesn’t end until today, the Baptism of the Lord. So, I want you all to run home right now, put your trees back up, and don’t take them down until tomorrow, AFTER Christmas is over! But do you see what’s happening? The majority of people get it wrong, but the minority of the people get it right. God always goes with the minority report.

          In the gospel today, we see a similar phenomenon unfolding. The majority of the people are excited about John the Baptist, and they “all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ.” That was the majority report. But John answered, “I baptize you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” That was the minority report.  Why?  Well, because only John recognized Jesus. Which one was right? Surprisingly, it’s the minority, not the majority. You see, time and time again, when it comes to seeing how God works, when it comes to sensing spiritual matters, the majority misses the mark, while the minority is spot on. Only the minority recognized the Son, the one in whom the Father was “well pleased.”

          Have you made your New Year’s Resolution yet? If you haven’t, don’t worry, you’re still in the majority of people who haven’t done that yet either! The majority of people procrastinate! But this year, instead of going after the usual suspects, the usual resolutions like “losing weight” or “exercising more” – which the majority of people will try to do – try to be more aware of the minority report. When you see the majority of the people go “zig,” then you should try to go “zag.” Let me give you some examples.

          When you see someone sitting alone and ignored by others – at work, or in school, or even at church – then go and spend time with them. That’s the minority report, that’s where God works and something spiritual happens. When you see people consumed with consumerism and spending money only on themselves, then go and spend money on others, especially the poor. When the majority “zigs,” you should “zag.” In helping the poor, you’ll see the minority report: something spiritual and the hand of God. When all your friends go to the movies and see Star Wars, but you decide to go to the Adoration Chapel to see Jesus, the real Star of the real Wars. In church, you’ll find the minority report, the spiritual and the divine. When everyone else wants to be the president or a pop star, but you think about being a priest, you’re thinking about the minority report. When most of the culture is chasing sex, drugs and rock and roll, but you’re chasing chastity, poverty and obedience, you’re really chasing the minority report; you’re chasing God and his grace. Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, “God always works through the minority, never through the majority.”

          One day, a smart and ambitious young man named Richard Rich approached St. Thomas More for advice about what career to pursue. Richard really wanted to go into law and politics; he wanted to be popular and prestigious. But St. Thomas said, “Why not be a teacher? You’d be a fine teacher – maybe even a great one.” Richard asked sourly, “And if I was, well, who’d know about it?” More answered, “You, your pupils, your friends, God – not a bad public, that.” Not a bad public, that. You see, Richard wanted the majority report, but More recommended the minority report. Which career do you think that Richard finally settled on? I’ll give you a hint: Richard would have taken down his Christmas lights on December 26th, too.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!

Lunch for Lions

God’s love changes burdens into blessings

1 John 4:19–5:4

Beloved, we love God because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar; for whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. This is the commandment we have from him: Whoever loves God must also love his brother. Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the Father loves also the one begotten by him. In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.

          Sometimes people see the life of a priest as an intolerable burden. Seeing that we are celibate and do not get married, my friends say, “Fr. John, how can you be a priest??” And I sometimes look at my married friends and think, “How can you be married??” What is it that makes a burden to one person feel like a blessing to another person? Well, the difference is love. Because I love being a priest, I don’t feel celibacy as a burden. Because you love your spouse – or you did in the beginning! – you don’t feel married life as a burden. The same goes for children. I was at a family’s home recently with lots of children, and they were running wild. The mother said to me, “I bet you’re glad you became a priest!” I replied, “Oh, no, you’re children are lovely.” In the back of my mind, I thought: “Yep, in one hour I will be at home watching Sports Center and drinking a beer.” Obviously, children can be a burden at times for parents, too, but that burden feels more like a blessing to them because of love. You see, love changes burdens into blessings.

          In the first reading today, St. John tries to make this same connection about love. He writes, “For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments.” Now comes the key line, St. John concludes, “And his commandments are not burdensome.” I’m sure that some people in the first century thought that being thrown to the lions in the Roman Coliseum was a little burdensome! But John would reply with a smile, “Not if you have the love of God.” The same goes for celibacy, and for marriage, and for wild children. You see, what makes the difference is love. Like the old adage says, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Love can change burdens into blessings.

          My friends, do the commandments of God feel like a burden to you? Is it hard to be a Christian and always do the right thing: to be a celibate priest, to stay married for 50 years, to be lunch for the lions in the Coliseum, to turn the other cheek when someone offends you, to help someone in need when you don’t feel like it, to be patient with someone who’s being a jerk, to avoid taking short-cuts, to pay your taxes!? Well, if you’d like all these burdens to feel more like blessings, you need more love. And I don’t mean just any old love, but the love of God. So, pray for that love.

          I say this prayer every day: “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love” – and I don’t mean the Kindle Fire tablet that’s available from Amazon! -- “Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.” You see, the Holy Spirit IS the love of God, and when he kindles the fire of his love in you, burdens begin to feel more like blessings.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!

Short Cut to Wine

Embracing science and miracles

Mark 6:34-44

When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late. Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” He said to them in reply, “Give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?” He asked them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out they said, “Five loaves and two fish.” So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass. The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties. Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied.  And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments and what was left of the fish. Those who ate of the loaves were five thousand men.

          Do you believe in miracles? That’s okay, you don’t need to raise your hands. I’m kind of skeptical of miracles, too. You’re at that stage in your life where you’re skeptical or doubtful of a lot of other things besides miracles, I bet. I once read a book by C. S. Lewis which helped me believe in miracles but still hold on to my scientific skepticism. The book is simply called “Miracles” and I hope you’ll read it one day.

          Lewis calls Jesus’ miracles a “short cut.” That is, what God the Father does over the course of years and decades, Jesus does much faster, in the blink of an eye, and it looks like a miracle. Like Father, like Son. Listen to Lewis’ explanation of turning water into wine. He writes: “Every year, as part of the natural order, God makes water into wine. He does so by creating a vegetable organism that can turn water, soil and sunlight into a juice which will, under the proper conditions, become wine.” (After you turn 21, you’ll appreciate this a lot more.) Lewis continues, “Thus, in a certain sense, God constantly turns water into wine, for wine, like all drinks, is but water modified.” Now Lewis applies this to Jesus, saying: “Once, and in one year only, God, now incarnate, short circuits the process: makes wine in a moment: uses earthenware jars instead of vegetable fibers to hold the water. But uses them to do what he’s always doing. The miracle consists in the short cut.” You see, once I saw that Jesus is not violating the laws of nature but only making them go “fast forward,” I saw that science and Christianity are not mutually exclusive; you can hold science in one hand and miracles in the other hand, and you don’t have to reject either one. I hope this will help you hang on to your faith, even as you learn more and more science in school.

          This is also how Lewis explains the two miracles in today’s gospel: the multiplication of the loaves and fish. In a slow and methodical way, God the Father is always taking a little bread – grains of wheat – and making a lot of bread. But Jesus uses a short-cut – he does a miracle – and speeds up the process in today’s gospel and feeds thousands. This is kind of like how your parents used to text using a flip phone – slowly! – and you text much faster using voice texting. The same goes for the fish: what the Father does slow and steady, the Son does fast and furious. Here’s my point, “the miracle consists in the short cut.”  Keep that in mind.

          Boys and girls, have you felt that tension between your faith and your studies? I hate to tell you this, but that tension will only grow stronger and become unbearable. Do you have older siblings in college or in their 20’s, who have stopped going to church? I’m not judging anyone, but I do want you to understand why they don’t go to church anymore. Science has trumped their faith, and they’ve let go of their faith and cling only to science. Or, maybe they, too, have learned about a “short cut to wine” and don’t really care about science or religion! Do you believe in miracles? Do you believe in science? Or, do you believe in both?

          Praised be Jesus Christ!

Islam 101

Understanding Christianity and Islam

John Adams, the second president of the United States, famously said, “Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.” Interestingly, Adams uttered those lines while defending British “Red Coats” falsely accused of massacring colonials in Boston. Like Adams, many people today would like to put aside “wishes, inclinations and passions” when it comes to Islam and Muslims. We’d like to know just “the facts” about this fascinating faith. If you have that spirit of John Adams, then you’ll enjoy an article entitled “What Catholics Should Know about Islam” by Dr. Sandra Keating. You can access that article at www.usccb.org, under the tab “Beliefs and Teachings.”

Here are some of the things you’ll learn if you take the time to read it. (1) Who is Muhammad, and how and why and when did he start Islam? (2) Which is the best term for the followers of Islam: Muslims, Moslems, or Moors? (3) How many wives did Muhammad have, and more importantly, why did he have so many? (4) What’s the difference between Sunnis and Shiites, or is there any difference? (5) Is Sharia Law compatible (or can it even co-exist elsewhere) with the U.S. Constitution? (6) Why is the Qur’an (Koran) not like “the Bible for Muslims”; indeed, why is the Qur’an more like the Person of Jesus Christ is for Christians? (7) How many Muslims are there today, and why is Islam the fastest growing religion in the world? (8) Were the Christian Crusaders crazy to wage war to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims; what were they thinking?? (9) What’s the deal with making Muslim women wear the “burqa” in public, and other social strangeness? (10) What is the best Christian attitude toward our Muslim brothers and sisters, even if they belong to the Muslim Brotherhood?

My friends, you’ve finally found an article without an agenda on Islam! Pope Benedict (quoted at the beginning of the article) said: “The lessons of the past must help us to avoid repeating the same mistakes. We must seek paths of reconciliation and learn to live with respect for each other’s identity. The defense of religious freedom, in this sense, is a permanent imperative, and respect for minorities is a clear sign of civilization.” In other words, can’t we all just get along? So, bring out your bark-o loungers and learn about burqas. Grab a cup of coffee, or better yet, pour a glass of wine.

As-salamu alaykum (peace be with you)!

Myrrh Christmas

Welcoming the unpleasant gifts

Matthew 2:1-2, 10-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

          So, did everyone enjoy their Christmas presents? I know one priest in the Philippines who was so excited about his Christmas present that he took it to Christmas Eve Mass. It was a hover-board, and he rode it during Mass while singing a Christmas song. Did you see that video on Youtube? Do you know what happened next? He got suspended by his bishop for being irreverent at Mass. Don’t you dare tell the bishop about my Yoda voice at Mass – Fr. John might be taking a little unplanned vacation. On the other hand… Last week, I read a small book called “The Ultimate Gift” about another unusual present. A very rich man, named Red Stevens, dies and leaves his wealth to his greedy and selfish relatives. But to one nephew, Jason Stevens, he leaves “the ultimate gift.” That gift consists of teaching Jason over the course of 12 months that the best gift is not money, but rather the gift of love and the gift of laughter, the gifts of friendship and gratitude, and even the gift of problems, and the gift of work. These gifts bring true meaning to life and make life rewarding. At one point Jason disgustedly cries, “Why couldn’t he just leave me money like everybody else??” A friend replies, “He loved you too much to do that.” You see, gifts given with love are not always the ones we would wish for, but they are always the best gifts for us, the ones we need the most.

          Today we celebrate the feast of Epiphany, and three magi or wise men come bearing gifts for Jesus, the new-born King. We’re all familiar with the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. But do you know what they mean or symbolize? Obviously, gold means Jesus is a king, the frankincense means he’s a priest (like priests use incense at Mass), but the myrrh means Jesus will be sacrificed, a saving victim for his people. Myrrh is an ointment used to embalm people after their die. I’m sure the Baby Jesus looked at the third magi who brought the myrrh and felt like saying, “Why couldn’t he leave me money like everybody else??” But the wise man “loved Jesus too much to do that.” Indeed, of all the gifts he received that first Christmas, the myrrh was the most valuable because it prepared Jesus for his ultimate destiny: death on the cross, just like Red Steven’s gift for his nephews was worth more than millions of dollars. Sometimes the most unwelcome gift is the most valuable one.

          Did you know that down in the South, there are many churches known as “answer back” churches. When the preacher says something, the congregation naturally replies. One Sunday, a preacher was speaking on what it would take for the church to become better. He said, “If this church is to become better, it must take up its bed and walk.” The congregation said, “Let it walk, Preacher, let it walk.” Encouraged by their response, he went further, “If this church is going to become better, it will have to throw aside its hindrances and run!” The congregation replied, “Let it run, Preacher, let it run!” Now, really getting into his message, he spoke stronger: “If this church really wants to become great, it will have to take up its wings and fly!” All shouted, “Let it fly, Preacher, let it fly!” The preacher got louder: “If this church is going to fly, it will cost money!” The congregation answered, “Let it walk, Preacher, let it walk.” That congregation gave the preacher an unwelcome gift. But don’t you give that gift to me.

          Now, let me pose my original question to you again: “Did everyone enjoy their Christmas gifts?” Let me ask it ask it another way: did you get a gift that you did NOT enjoy because it was unexpected or unwelcome? And I don’t mean just at Christmas, but throughout the year, whenever someone gives us something that we don’t particularly like. My friends, I would suggest to you that those unexpected, unusual and even unpleasant gifts, like Red Stevens’ gifts of “work” and “problems,” are in fact the best gifts of all. I was counseling a father recently, who was struggling with shouldering the responsibility of raising his children. I suggested to him, “Maybe the times you said ‘no’ to your children – which probably made them unhappy – were the times that helped them the most, even more than the times you gave them what they wanted.” The unwelcome gift was the best one. In a documentary on Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, he apparently did not allow his children to have their Iphones or mobile devices at the dinner table, but rather he insisted on family conversation: that they look at each other and talk to each other. Steve Jobs was like the wise man, who he gave his children the gift of a little myrrh – Myrrh Christmas! – helping them to die to their desires. Have you heard of Ethan Couch, the teenager who killed four people while driving drunk? He convinced the judge not to convict him because he suffered from “affluenza,” meaning he suffered from too much privilege stemming from his family’s wealth. Of course you don’t have to be a teenager to contract “affluenza,” to be selfish, spoiled and slovenly. I mean, who gives the gift of “myrrh” at a baby shower?? That would be someone wise, someone who wants to inoculate that baby against “affluenza.”

          As we begin the year 2016, we ask God to bless the coming year. And I’m sure he has lots of blessings in store for us this year. Those blessings will come in all shapes and sizes and colors. But don’t be surprised if some gifts aren’t exactly what you would have expected or wished for; but they will be exactly what you needed. Maybe the best gift that Filipino priest got for Christmas this year was not the hover-board, but rather the suspension. Myrrh Christmas!

          Praised be Jesus Christ!

World Religions 101

Seeing the difference between Christianity and Islam

1 John 3:1-2

Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. And so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

          This will probably be the most controversial homily I’ve ever delivered. That’s why I’m preaching it here at Christ the King instead of Immaculate Conception. That way, Fr. Babu has to clean up the mess I make, and I can just ride off into the sunset! I’d like to point out one major difference between Christianity and Islam. This is something I learned listening to Scott Hahn, who you may know was a Presbyterian pastor but converted to Catholicism and now teaches theology. He explained that at the core of Christianity is something called “divine filiation,” or becoming a child of God. The more technical Latin term is “filii in Filio,” which literally means “sons in the Son.” That is, God became a child of human beings, so that human beings could become children of God. Now, that may sound rather commonplace to us Catholic Christians; we take it for granted that we’re all children of God. Duh, what could be more obvious?!

          But that phrase, Scott Hahn went on to explain, would be blasphemous to most Muslim ears. Why? Well, because Islam holds that Allah, God, is uniquely and utterly One, and there is no one else like him in the entire universe. Therefore, to say that a human being is a child of God would be to suggest human beings enjoy some level of equality with God, just like your children enjoy the same dignity as you, their parents. More colloquially, we would say, “Like father, like son,” or “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” But a true Muslim would cringe at any such comparison between the Creator and creature.  In Islam, the relation between God and man is not that of Father-and-son, but rather more like Master-and-slave.

          Now, I don’t say this in order to pick on Islam, because it’s also true for most non-Christian religions, including Judaism. The reason the Jewish scribes and Pharisees were so annoyed by Jesus was he kept calling himself “the Son of God.” In making that claim, Jesus was asserting equality with God. That’s why we read in John 5:18, “For this reason the Jews tried all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath, but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.” Have I painted a stark enough picture for you? Have I at least gotten your attention? Good.

          Because it’s really only against this rather bleak religious backdrop that we can hear how astounding sounding the second reading is today. St. John writes: “Beloved, see what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. And so we are.” Boom! My friends, there is the whole gospel message in a nutshell: “we are children of God,” “filii in Filio.” The Son of God became a son of man, so that sons of men could become sons of God. (Please pardon the sexist-sounding language there – the comparison is clearer and more poetic that way.) In other words, divine filiation is at the heart of Christianity, even if that causes heartburn for most other religions, especially Islam.

          Let me tell you a little joke to lighten things up a bit here. A young man found out that he would inherit a fortune when his sickly father died. So he decided he needed a woman to enjoy it with. One evening, he went to a singles bar where he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her natural beauty took his breath away. He approached her and said, “I may look like just an ordinary man, but in just a week or two my father will die and I’ll inherit $20 million.” Impressed, the woman went home with him that evening. Three days later, she became his stepmother. So, sometimes, the whole father-son scenario goes south; who knows, maybe the Muslims are right! (That’s a joke.)

          The real reason I’m here today is to talk about Trinity Junior High, but I wanted to create a context in which to highlight the value of our school. Of course, we insist on high academic standards, strong moral behavior, service to the poor, and deep religious faith. But why do we do all that? Because we believe what St. John said, “Beloved, see what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. And so we are.” Sadly, this core conviction is something that the rest of the world does not share, not even many religions. This is why we demand so much from Trinity students (because they are children of God) – just like you demand more from your children than you do from the neighbors kids. This is why at Trinity we treat each person with infinite respect and dignity, and why we will not tolerate bullying or discrimination. We are absolutely convinced that each person is a child of God: whether they are male or female, whether they are black, white or brown, whether they are American or immigrants, whether they are cowboys or Indians (like me!), whether they are Catholics or Muslims. Heck, we believe Muslims are also children of God, even if they wouldn’t say so of themselves.  This is what we teach our students at Trinity Junior High.

          I’d like to make two requests of you today. First, would you consider sending your children to Trinity next year? Now you know the conviction that is at the core of everything we teach. And second, would you support us financially in the second collection today? If you’d like to learn more, we’ll have Dr. Karen Hollenbeck, Zach Edwards and Mike Charlton available after Mass handing out brochures. You know, before a teacher ever stands in front of a class and opens his or her mouth to explain math or science or economics, he or she has already formed an opinion about the bright eyes staring back at them. A teacher either sees his students as sons, or as slaves, or as something else. Every teacher at Trinity sees every student as a son or daughter of God, even if the son only wants to inherit his father’s $20 million.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!

Bullet-proof Baby

Overcoming our divisions at Christmas

Luke 2:8-14

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

          Many years ago when I was a new pastor, I had to do a multi-million dollar construction project. (What else is new??) Without a clue where to begin, I traveled to Little Rock to seek advice from my mentor, Msgr. Gaston Hebert. And I’ll never forget what he told me. He said, “John, it’s really very simple. First, make sure the project is something the parish really needs. Second, make sure it’s something the parish can afford. And third, ask people to give as generously as they can.” And then he leaned over to me and almost whispered, “But here’s the secret. On all your marketing brochures, put as many pictures of the cutest kids and the most beautiful babies you can find in your church! No one can say ‘no’ to a beautiful baby or a chubby child.” You know, Hebert didn’t become a monsignor for no reason. I have never forgotten that advice, “No one can say ‘no’ to a beautiful baby.” Have you ever noticed how differently people act around a baby? Magically and mysteriously, a baby tugs at our heartstrings and alters our attitudes, and we become a little more child-like ourselves.

          In the gospel today we hear about another instance of employing the same marketing strategy: show the world a beautiful baby! The angel announces to the shepherds: “And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” Why in the world would almighty God become a helpless little Baby? Because like Msgr. Hebert, God, too, knows that the best poster child for a project is precisely a “Child”! But God wasn’t looking for money for a building project; he was looking for living stones (that is, you and me) for the construction of his kingdom. And God knows nothing grabs our attention like a beautiful little baby. In the presence of a Baby – especially the Baby Jesus – hearts melt and hopes rise, and eternal kingdoms are created. Folks, this is basic “marketing 101” whether you’re in heaven or on earth: “no one can say ‘no’ to a beautiful baby.”

          Have you ever heard of the Christmas Truce of 1914? Believe it or not, this really happened. Here’s the way the History Channel described it: “Shortly after World War I began, along the western front, on Christmas Eve, 1914, German and British troops sang Christmas carols to each other across the lines. At the first light of dawn on Christmas Day, some German soldiers emerged from their trenches and approached the Allied lines across no-man’s land, calling out ‘Merry Christmas’ in their enemy’s native tongue. At first, the Allied soldiers feared it was a trick, but seeing the Germans unarmed they climbed out of their trenches and shook hands with the enemy soldiers.” The account continues: “The men exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum pudding and sang carols and songs. There was even an undocumented case of soldiers from opposing sides playing a good-natured game of soccer.” Now, what could make battled-hardened soldiers drop their weapons and sings songs and exchange presents? Only the thought of a beautiful Baby can, that is, the Christmas Baby named Jesus. You could say that this was a bullet-proof Baby! You see, the Christmas Truce of 1914 is a glorious glimpse of the grace of this Holy Day. The angel announced: “On earth peace – PEACE! – to those on whom his favor rests.”

          My friends, is there anyone with whom you need to call a “Christmas truce of 2015”? You know sometimes, we end up fighting a kind of trench warfare with others that’s every bit as belligerent and brutal as World War I. I don’t just mean the wars we fight against Al Qaida and the Taliban and ISIS, but also the battles that blaze in our own backyards and in the back of our hearts; with our kids in our kitchens, with our friends in our high schools, with co-workers in our offices, and yes even with Christians in our churches. You know, I love the Norman Rockwell paintings of funny and festive family gatherings during the holidays. But many people often think, “The only thing better than seeing family come, is seeing family go!” We can’t wait for family to leave, because sometimes, the hardest people to love are the people you live with. So, this Christmas Day, let me give you the same advice Msgr. Hebert gave me, and let me invite you to turn your eyes to a beautiful Baby, and let him melt your heart to love others again. You know, if German and British soldiers who were trying to kill each other, could drop their weapons and exchange presents of cigarettes and plum pudding for one day, couldn’t we put aside our wars and woes for one day and show a little compassion and care for those we fight with? Don’t worry, tomorrow (December 26) you can go back to killing each other.

          You see, a beautiful Baby is a powerful thing. It can help you raise millions of dollars. It can help you find living stones to construct a Kingdom. It can help you find peace in the middle of a war. And it can help heal your hurting heart. Here’s the best marketing strategy in the whole world: “no one can say ‘no’ to a beautiful baby.” What could a bullet-proof Baby do for you?

          Praised be Jesus Christ!