Christmas Anno Domini 2009 (Byzantine 7518)

Christ is born!
Glorify Him!

Last night was the one year anniversary that my wife and I along with a friend of ours first stepped foot in Sts. Cyril & Methodius Byzantine Catholic Church. It was remarkable a year ago, and still as remarkable a year later. The Byzantine Catholic spirituality is so rich and so alive that I wish everyone could experience it at least once in their lives.

As with many of Father Rick’s homilies, I seem to hear thing a new for the first time. Last night’s homily during the Christmas Eve Liturgy spoke volumes and I wish to summarize it for those who did not hear it.

Humanity was created in God’s image; however, due to the fall of Adam and Eve, we were reduced to a suffering, beastly, dying people. We constantly find ourselves at what are low points in our lives where God seems so far away from us. Nevertheless, it is in these moments when God is closest to us.

Christ the Divine fully embraced our humanity. In His life, only twice is it recorded where He was at His weakest point in His life. The crucifixion is probably the one time that we most recall from scripture. The celebration of the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is actually the first event where He allowed Himself to be at His weakest point. As an infant, He was totally dependent on His Earthly parents (Joseph and Mary) to feed Him, clothe Him, nurture Him and protect Him. At that point, God was in the same state of weakness as His human creation. Christ entered the world at His weakest point and died at His weakest point only to turn His weakness into our salvation.

Therefore, when we find ourselves weak, tired, and broken, it is at this point that we are closest to God and God closest to us. It is in the weakness of others that we find Christ. It is in their weakness that we must hold them, embrace them, nurture them, protect them like the infant Christ whose birth we celebrate today. I find it sad when I hear pop Christmas songs asking where did Christmas go. The answer is nowhere. If we see the infant Christ in others, we will live the “Christmas Spirit” all year long.

May you nurture the Christ babe throughout this Christmas Season and all through 2010.

Pax et Bonum.