Sunday, 27 December 2020
I heard a presenter on radio over the weekend, insisting that they would not be playing any more Christmas music, for the simple reason that Christmas was over. And, for the secular world, Christmas was December 25th, with whatever level of celebration we could muster. But from a faith perspective, [1] The Feast of the Holy Family is a call to go beyond gender wars and ideological victimhood to a rich understanding of human complementarity. Pope Francis calls us to journey with Jesus, Mary and Joseph, uncovering the depths of our humanity that is revealed in the family of Nazareth that we celebrate today.
We journey on, through the 12 days of Christmas, into the mystery of Emmanuel, God with us in the very mixed bag that all our family circles are. God walks with us, calling us out from the places where we hide, into his own wonderful light. God calls us to leave behind ideological battles and focus on what enriches our eternal salvation, human life and society – for these three are intimately linked. God calls us to believe that we can move beyond the scars that we bear and that we have inflicted, trusting that mercy and forgiveness alone can help the lame to walk, and the blind to see that there is a future and not just a past. Like Jesus in the Temple, we have all been consecrated to the God in Baptism. That is a call to become holy in our day and our way. Following in Jesus' footsteps, we too can grow to maturity, filled with divine wisdom. And we gather here in Church for Mass, under the Fatherhood of God, with Jesus our brother and saviour, and in the power of the Spirit. Here the Liturgy calls us the family that God has summoned here before him. And as that family we move forward, trusting in the God who leads us. No, Christmas is not over, for it is a central part of our ongoing faith journey. Let us not be embarrassed to celebrate its rich message in the days that lie ahead.
[1] Pope Francis proclaims "Year of St Joseph" - Vatican News