Christmas and Life
In less than forty-eight hours we will be filled with abundant joy and great rejoicing (first reading for Christmas Mass During the Night) at the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. In a world that has gloom in it in many forms, including not respecting life, Jesus brings us light.
Christmas is a time of celebrating birth. As I see what is going on in the world, I have been thinking about life a lot lately. Life is precious. Life is a gift. A gift is most enjoyed when it is received with joy and cherished from its very beginning till its natural death and at every moment between conception and natural death.
As we listen to the entire Christmas story, we see great respect for life.
In the readings for daily Mass leading up to Christmas I first saw this last Thursday. At daily Mass on December 18th (every year unless December 18th on a Sunday) the gospel reading is Matthew 1:18-25. In reading this last week, I saw clearly a great respect for life by Joseph. He could have had Mary stoned for what seemed like adultery (see Deuteronomy 22:23-25) but he did not. I see this as showing us that Joseph cherishes life. He knew the Fifth Commandment says, “You Shall Not Kill.” He believed it was not for him to decide when Mary’s life should end (see Ecclesiastes 3:1-2). He may have also been considering the protection of the life in Mary’s womb. He knew the baby was not his biological child but the baby was still a life to be cherished.
I wish King Herod had had that same respect for life. Here I refer to the gospel story that is read on December 28th, the Feast of the Holy Innocents (when it does not fall on a Sunday) from Matthew 2:16-18. Herod saw Jesus as a threat to his power. So, he “ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under” in a failed attempt to kill Jesus. There was much weeping that day. How much does our Lord weep every time someone chooses to have an abortion because the life in the womb does not suit their plans?
On the Feast of the Holy Family this year, we will hear in the gospel reading the story of the flight of the Holy Family to Egypt to flee beyond Herod’s grasp. God knew that Herod would try to kill Jesus. God had incorporated this into his plan as seen in the flight to Egypt leading to the prophecy in Hosea 11:1, “Out of Egypt I called my son,” being fulfilled when the Holy Family returns home.
The Holy Family fled as refuges to Egypt. Respecting life is more than life in the womb or at its end. Respecting life includes doing what we can to welcome refugees who flee their own land out of fear for their lives. I wonder what would have happened if Egypt had stopped the Holy Family from entering their country.
I think of the magi who rejoiced at the news of Jesus’ birth and travelled a great distant to give him homage (see Matthew 2:1-12).
I think of how every human being is important and loved by Jesus regardless of earthly stance as seen in the fact that the first people besides Mary and Joseph to see Jesus were shepherds (Luke 2:8-20). Shepherds were seen as of lowly status yet God brought them to Jesus even before the magi came bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. God shows great respect for all life, regardless of how they are seen by earthly standards.
This is echoed in the Matthew 2:6, “And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.” Bethlehem may have seemed insignificant to many, but no person or group of people is insignificant to God. He loves every one of us.
Lastly, in seeing how precious life is according to Scripture, I think of how life is received in some of the readings heard at daily Mass in the days leading up to Christmas.
On December 19th, the first reading tells the story of the joy in which the parents of Samson received the news of his birth.
That same day, December 19th, the end of the gospel reading tells us how joyful Elizabeth was when John the Baptist was conceived, by God’s Grace, in her womb. Today, December 23rd, we see in the gospel reading the neighbors of Elizabeth and Zechariah sharing in their rejoicing at John’s birth.
Yesterday, on December 22nd, the first reading and the psalm tell of how grateful Hannah was when God gave her Samuel as her son.
Every life is precious. Every life is a gift.
Peace,
Fr. Jeff