“Christmas is over!” one person said with a sense of relief in her voice. All the presents have been opened, the wrappings tossed in the garbage, and we can get back to a “normal life” again. Such is the attitude about Christmas that naturally follows the world’s rendition of this season.
The Church, however, is still sitting around the Christmas tree waiting to unwrap more presents. She is not in a hurry. Store-bought presents have been given, but “Jesus-bought” presents are still waiting to be opened.
Today there are so many presents to open that even the Church gets confused as which to open first. Once it opened the present called “the Circumcision” as it remembers the moment when Jesus first shed his blood for us. Then it shifted to opening the present called “the Holy Name of Jesus,” that name which is above all names. Now it has decided to focus on the gift of “Mary, the Holy Mother of God.” Mary, the one who was given the call to house the very presence of God’s son in her body, has been given to us as our Mother—she is at work, even now, nurturing the presence of her son in us.
One unopened present that sits hidden behind the Christmas tree is the group of shepherds whom God chose to be the first witnesses of Jesus in the world. They are obscure figures in our nativity sets, but important ones. Today Mary calls us together and tells us about the shepherds she met that holy night. She tells us the story so that we, her children, might learn from them (Luke 2:16-21).
“The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about the child. All who heard it were amazed by what they had been told them by the shepherds….Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.”
When God spoke to these “watchers of the night,” they “went in haste” to Bethlehem. These simple men teach us to move quickly when we have an opportunity to meet Jesus. They put God’s work and God’s message first in their lives. We pray that we have the same eagerness to seek and serve Jesus.
Secondly, the shepherds “made known the message” (to the people of Bethlehem, we presume) and brought amazement to people. They were evangelists who let their excitement about Jesus overflow into the larger community. This was a message for all people, not just for a select few.
Thirdly, they let the Holy Spirit fill them with a spirit of praise and glory. They became God’s impromptu choir on earth, dedicating themselves to glorifying God with their voices. We, who have seen Jesus, are called, also, to be people of praise, every day and throughout the day.
Let’s shed some of our sophistication, put on robes of praise and sandals of eagerness, and join the light-hearted, excited, and free-spirited shepherds in rejoicing over what God is doing right now upon the earth.
“Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.”
Mary saved all these amazing Christmas presents in her heart. She wanted to make sure that those of future generations might enjoy what the shepherds experienced that holy night. Members of the early Church sat around her, spellbound, as she opened these treasures that she had stored for them in her heart.
“So may your way be known upon earth; among all nations your salvation” (Ps 67:3).
