Christmas 2020

Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord, God, and Saviour Jesus Christ...If anyone is afraid of the darkness caused by COVID, read the "Beautiful Psalm" #103 here. It will help you renew your energy in the Lord. My spiritual director, Fr. Daniel Callam; CSB, recommended it for me. First: In the Midnight Mass of Christmas in St. Peter's Basilica, celebrated by Pope Francis, the Holy Father gave a homily that reminded the faithful how Christ is always born again for us... The text can be read here. Some of the most beautiful words in his homily are shown below: [Tonight, the great prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given” (Is 9:6). To us a son is given. We often hear it said that the greatest joy in life is the birth of a child. It is something extraordinary and it changes everything. It brings an excitement that makes us think nothing of weariness, discomfort, and sleepless nights, for it fills us with indescribable and incomparable happiness. That is what Christmas is: the birth of Jesus is the “newness” that enables us to be reborn each year and to find, in him, the strength needed to face every trial. Why? Because his birth is for us – for me, for you, for everyone. “For” is a word that appears again and again on this holy night: “For us a child is born”, Isaiah prophesied. “For us is born this day a Saviour”, we repeated in the Psalm. Jesus “gave himself for us” (Tit 2:14), Saint Paul tells us, and in the Gospel, the angel proclaims: “For to you is born this day a Saviour” (Lk 2:11).Yet what do those words – for us – really mean? They mean that the Son of God, the one who is holy by nature, came to make us, as God’s children, holy by grace. Yes, God came into the world as a child to make us children of God. What a magnificent gift! This day, God amazes us and says to each of us: “You are amazing”. Dear sister, dear brother, never be discouraged. Are you tempted to feel you were a mistake? God tells you, “No, you are my child!” Do you have a feeling of failure or inadequacy, the fear that you will never emerge from the dark tunnel of trial? God says to you, “Have courage, I am with you”. He does this not in words, but by making himself a child with you and for you. In this way, he reminds you that the starting point of all rebirth is the recognition that we are children of God. This is the undying heart of our hope, the incandescent core that gives warmth and meaning to our life. Underlying all our strengths and weaknesses, stronger than all our past hurts and failures, or our fears and concerns about the future, there is this great truth: we are beloved sons and daughters. God’s love for us does not, and never will, depend upon us. It is completely free love, pure grace. Tonight, Saint Paul tells us, “the grace of God has appeared” (Tit 2:11).Nothing is more precious than this.] Second: I received another great text from Rev. Dr. Anita Gaide, pastor of the Lutheran parish in Toronto. titled The Power of God’s Love [‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was withGod, and the Word was God.’ (John 1:1). God reveals His power through his Word. Note that the first three words of the Gospel of John are the same as the Book of Genesis. GOD is revealed as Creator, as Saviour and as Redeemer. ‘And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it.’ (John 1:5). We think of the power of God, but also his powerlessness in the event of the crucifixion. However, the greatest powerlessness of God in the death of Jesus turns out to be the greatest power in His victorious resurrection. As He rose to life eternal, we are given the possibility of redemption in the hope and reality of eternal life. His mercy is surely expressed in this manifestation of the power of his great love for all humanity.There is a musical documentary about the Christmas Truce of 1915 which features the singing of some twenty men dressed plainly in black somber clothing. They are the forgotten, the dead, those who gave up their lives in the First Great War. The documentary is about one night, the night of the Christmas truce where one lone German soldier rises to cross the enemy lines. He is unarmed and he sings to the glory of God in the highest heavens. The men arise from the darkness, one by one, coming out of the grey mists of time to resume their rightful place as the living. Lest we never forget. These heroes of the war sacrificed all, the chance of having a career, family and a long life lived together in the midst of their loved family members. One young soldier even remarked that they would be home for Christmas. This war would surely be over by then. However, the war was far from over. Millions would die, many in senseless, uncaring deaths, slaughtered for a cause that is still debated today. The Pope called for a ceasefire, but to no avail.Yet that one night of grace in 1915, the power of God’ s love shone forth and His glory stood all around. The soldiers on both sides raised their voices in song. They sang of love, home and the peace embodied by men of goodwill. One of the most poignant songs was Silent Night performed in three different languages, French, German and English and in three different keys. In canon, their voices, gentle at first rose to the heavens above. Christ came down and was among them where they lay in the trenches. Over a hundred years later, we, as both audience members and also witnesses, were moved to tears, as were the documentary writers and cast members. All were changed for ever in the rendering of the past, bringing these forgotten heroes to life. Each singing member introduced himself and his name will be inscribed in the annals of history forever. The glory of God shone through that night. Peace and goodwill remained and enemies were reminded that they were brothers after all, united in a common humanity and bound by the power of God’ s love in Christ.] Third: The Joy of Christmas with Georges Farah While we celebrate Christmas, we miss Fr. George Farah, the priest who was pastor of Jesus the King parish for the past-twenty one years. A man of joyful character, his last name “Farah”means joy. He joked with me that he and I not only carried the same name “George” but almost the same last name except that mine “Farahat” meant multiple joys. In reality George Farah has been an outstanding minister of joy, not only at Christmas but all the time in preaching and action. A man for people, he celebrated with all and invited all to enjoy their gifts together in the Church and elsewhere whether in the Eucharist, lectures, church festivals, or outings. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, he said quoting St. Paul. It is the sign of Christians who, in spite of their weakness and sufferings, are called to rejoice in meeting the other and grow in faith to Christ. Fr. Georges Farah obtained a doctorate in philosophy and another in theology from the highly-esteemed Sorbonne in Paris. Yet his academic credentials did not alter his joyous character but only deepened his faith in the love of God. God, he preached, is not only the generous father, but is an outpouring love for all human beings; sinners and saints. As taught by St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, God is the eternal self-sacrifice abandonment or love of the Father to his eternal Son Jesus Christ and the Son returning love with gratitude to his eternal Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit who is the binding love. The Church is the minister of love who, by the power of the Holy Spirit, witnesses to Christ in the entire world. “The Holy Spirit reveals the Son and the Son reveals the Father” he said.A philosopher himself, George Farah was interviewed about God and freedom since his doctorate thesis in philosophy dealt with Nietzsche's post-modern philosophy. Nietzsche had questioned the morality of power in religion. For him, a God who presses his power on humans through an agency or religion is not real because he strips humanity of their freedom and creativity. In George Farah, the God of Christians offers the only real freedom that guarantees human development, not only in eternal love, but in appreciating human creativity and dignity too here on earth. The entire philosophical and scientific explorations rooted in Christian civilization are only the beginning of realizing that God is in us, encourages us and moves us to him. It is this freedom of Man's dream in becoming God, one with God, for which the Word of God assumed our nature. How was it possible that God could assume our nature in the incarnation of the Word (Christ)? George Farah responds “God could not stay away from his beloved creation. His love made him become one of us and dwell with us 'Emmanuel'.” God does not wish anyone to be lost. He came for the lost (Cf. Matthew 18:14; Luke 15: 4, 9, 24, 32; Luke 19: 10; John 6: 12). Today we need to examine our conscience and return Christ to Christmas by educating ourselves and children guided by the Church, exiting ourselves and our worries, thinking of others, praying for the sick, an helping as much as we can the needy in our community and especially the suffering Christians in the Middle East. Fourth: The Jesuit scholar Fr. Henri Boulad gave a homily this morning in Cairo. He said that while everyone fears COVID and is therefore confined at home, some 100,000 kids are under bombardment in Yemen. The news of the lost children in Yemen are seldom followed or published in the mainstream media, because the West is not involved. The battles are between factions of Arabs and other factions of Arabs/Muslims. Where is God? Is God in heaven looking down at humans that are killing children ? Does he care? Why is atheism widespread ? A God who looks down on the misery of people is not my God, said Fr. Boulad. But he came down and was born a child in Bethlehem to be with us "Emmanuel". This is our Christ - He is God the Saviour says St. Paul "who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil 2:6) Have a blessed Christmas!