What the Lord gave Abbot Clement for the Church of St. Andrew Abbey Christmas Eve (I ask that you read it straight through)
Merry Christmas everyone! ... Thank you. This is such a strange contrast. Here we are full of music, decorations and full expression of our faith. If we turn to the world we have a totally different picture. I want to talk about this contrast. I want to talk about the world's view and I'm afraid some Christian and maybe even some Catholics' view of what we are doing. I want to talk about what scripture and the liturgy say. Then hopefully give you homework, a solution.
A couple of years ago a good and talented singer was invited to come and perform in Cleveland's public square for the tree lighting ceremony. The first request was, no Christmas carols and don't witness to Jesus .... God is removed from our world. We have so many signs of this, but look how common and ordinary it is. People have a hard time, even Catholics, to say "Merry Christmas". They have to say happy holidays. To be politically correct. Jesus is taken out of our very feast. Now I can give you a more scientific case. Take for instance the scientist who asks the student what is a star? And then gives the answer to the student. 'It is a gaseous ball of flame'. Really, is that what a star IS? That's what it is made of and that's what it does. But that's not what it IS. It is a creature of God ... That's what it IS. So in the whole scientific world God is removed.
God is removed from social life, God is removed from economics, from politics. Religion is something between you and God. It is reduced to the private sector of your consciousness ...... So the text of Scripture is correct... "There was no room for them in the Inn." (Except St. Andrew Abbey).
If we remove God from our public experience and reduce him to the relationship between yourself and God then it doesn't take much to have him removed from my mind, my conscious mind, from my purpose and goals and then, of course, from my life. So we have abortions, euthanasia, and now cloning so we can harvest cells and body-parts for other people from human beings as if they are things. .... "There is no room for God in the Inn." It's our world.
What a contrast between this and anything we are doing here, the first reading of Isaiah. The responsorial psalm: "Today is born the savior of the world. The angels proclaim the glory of God." Strange beings these creatures are ... angels! But isn't that the most important central issue of why we are gathered. "God so loved the world that he sent his Son to redeem it so that those who believe will not perish." If the world has no room for God, God has plenty of room for the world ... and he has always been with us ... and his presence with us is always a loving presence. And that loving presence like all love, transforms those who receive it...........
But where do you stand? If we can't even say "Merry Christmas" which is a wish that all the blessings and peace of this feast may be experienced not as an anniversary. Not as remembering something that happened two thousand years ago. But a celebration and therefore a present mystery that floods our world with the peace,...the love,...the life,...the light ... of Christ.
So one begins to suspect that even for believers, Jesus is distant ... That guy was born two thousand years ago. We don't know how to celebrate, we have an anniversary of what happened two thousand years ago. Jesus is that God who is far away. But he is NOT the God who is near, close, loving me, Not just me but every one ... all the time .... everywhere. And so God seeing our plight raises up saints to reminds us of the gospel truth. The most recent, most powerful presentation is Sr. Faustina Kowalska. She says in many ways but especially in her litany of Divine Mercy. That the Divine Mercy which is love bending down to us, embraces our WHOLE LIFE AND EVERY MOMENT OF IT. It you really believe this, you would out do this beautiful music we heard so far already, in just let loose a tremendous shout of joy, praise, awe, reverence and deep, deep desire... salvation is at hand.
Time for homework.
I will give one solution to this problem that started when we began to say religion is between you and God. Instead of out here in the world, all the time, everywhere. And God is INTERESTED in every aspect of our life. So I give you one single remedy. I ask you to believe, to really believe that Jesus loves you and you begin to live moment by moment. Let it sink into your consciousness that this love is in this moment, that moment and so on. So that you begin to imbue, let in the Truth of this celebration. THAT GOD IS WITH US,... GOD LOVES ME, LOVES US. AND THIS LOVE IS TRANSFORMING ME, SHARING WITH ME LIFE, LIGHT, LOVE AND POWER.
And of course you are going to say to me, "Abbot you are crazy". ...How could I believe, even think that God is loving me. It's ridiculous ... it's rash ... it's unrealistic ... you're in a dream world ... it's insane. But I say to you. Embrace what seems to be ridiculous ... what seems to be rash ... what seems to be unrealistic ... what seems to be insane. Do you know why? Because it's the Truth . ....... THIS IS CHRISTMAS. 'The realization, the celebration that God loves me so much and continues to love me so much that he gave his Son for my salvation. For God the Father to give his Son is for Him to give e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. There is nothing else left .......
If you really hear me and do the homework, this is what happens. You begin to say "yes" to your life ... to each day of your life ... to each moment of your life. And you do it wholeheartedly, you do it lovingly. IT'S GREAT TO BE ALIVE. You do it confidently. Your fears disappear. You know what, you begin to have joy and to enjoy. For who cannot rejoice when they are totally and constantly loved? THIS IS CHRISTMAS. You are open to, aware of and responding to an outlandish love that has drawn near to us in Christ, that is with us, is for us, and in that lifts us up, transforms us and in that makes us instruments to bring his light, life, love and his peace to our world.