Quite often, greatness and light emerge from the most unexpected places. This is an inspiring message for our Christmas celebration. One would expect the long-awaited Messiah (and Son of God) to be born in a palace or perhaps a temple. Instead, he was born in a mundane stable surrounded by chickens, cows, and other animals and placed in a feeding trough or manger. He was born to a peasant girl from the insignificant little town of Nazareth. Poor (and despised) shepherds were the first to witness and make known his birth.
As we contemplate everyday moments from the past, we may or may not realize how Christ’s light shined in such mundane events as trips to the grocery store, family dinners, morning routines, laundry cycles, coffee breaks, and phone calls to loved ones. When I was pastor of St. Leonard parish in Warren, I lived in the former convent, which had been turned into a halfway home for men leaving rehabilitation programs for drug or alcohol addiction. I tell you, Christ’s light shined brighter among those 27 men, even through common relapses, than in any rectory I have lived. I have also experienced the Light of Christ very strongly in meeting with families to plan the funeral of a loved one. Their strong faith and genuine love shined in these difficult times.
We have all probably seen Christ’s Light when spending time with a troubled person who just needed someone to talk to. The star led the magi to the Light of the World. Who has led you to experience Christ’s light in unexpected places?
– Fr. Ron
