Well, the holidays are just barely off the radar and it’s probably time for you to answer this question: How comfortable were you in the middle of the milieu of family, gifts, celebrations? Did you get a lot of “stuff” and was that important to you in your assessment of whether it was a good holiday or not? Who are you, a middle-class person, upper, lower, wealthy, poor? Does your view of yourself please you? Do you count it as an accomplishment in life if you identify as upper middle class and/or well to do?
What does any of this have to do with the holidays and their “quality”? I guess that’s a matter of perspective. Let me explain. You know that as far as the Nativity Story is concerned there is a cast of characters involved from pre-pregnancy to the after story of the Kings. If we examine the readings, we can find that the characters are pretty symbolic of the different genres of the human race. Rich, poor, young, old, business people, travelers, foreigners, believers, non-believers, educated, uneducated, the powerful, those who practice magic, royalty. The story is written that way for a reason. All of mankind is included. Smart Holy Spirit!
In His typical unconventional fashion, though, God directs that no part of this event which changed the world plays out as we might expect. Therein lies the most important lesson of all. I guess as we sit in our warm and abundant homes none of us really gives any thought to what it was really like that fateful, amazing night. One of the things that piques people’s attention in this whole narrative is, of course, the shepherds. There is something wondrous about light, angels, choruses singing in the night sky completely out of the blue! After all these people were literally miles from the event and had absolutely no clue of what was going on! We, though, in our comfort sing the assuring melodies about shepherds keeping their watch at night and angel voices! What’s the reality of this scenario, though?
It is a curiosity to me that shepherds were the first, privileged people, to know that an event had occurred which would change the world for all of history. In the culture of the time shepherds were below the bottom rung of the social ladder. They were considered so abhorrent and unreliable in the society of the time that they were not even allowed to testify in court for any reason. They lived with animals. Their cave and the sheep cave were the same place. They never wore freshly laundered clothes. They smelled bad. They worked 24/7 with no vacation or leisure. These were people that you and I would shy away from on the street and never sit next to on public transportation. Yet there were first! What? Wouldn’t it have made more sense to have a powerful royal or politician become aware of and then declare the birth of the true King of the universe?
No. In every scenario of scripture is a lesson to heal the soul. God’s clear message for the birth of his son rings loud and clear. In life only three things matter: When God shows you who he is, do not waste one moment in responding;
“So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger”(Lk2:16).;
Do not shy away from telling all people the information the Lord has invested in you:
“When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child”(Lk 2:17).:
Finally, your life should be a constant public witness to the joy and privilege of knowing the Lord and his son;
“Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen”(Lk 2:20).
It was not a complicated thing for the shepherds to respond to God. They had no schedule, appointments, red tape, responsibilities or protocols to observe. Can you say the same of yourself? Re-think your attitude about the poorest of the poor and those who live in extreme poverty. How important is your perception of your own place in society? Then, examine your personal willingness to let nothing come between you and God’s best news for eternity. Merry Christmas to all!
©2017, Kathryn M. Cunningham, All Rights Reserved
Kathryn M. Cunningham
Kathryn holds a Master’s in Education from Saint Xavier University. Most recently she completed Master of Arts in Pastoral Studies from The Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. This recent degree was part of a “retirement project” after teaching for 35 years. She has also worked as a spiritual director, music minister,council member and prayer team warrior. Kathryn has a deep interest in catechesis for the people in the pews. As a “sort of” convert she finds the wisdom of the Church a source for encouragement, joy and survival in a world not sure of anything. Her writing has appeared in diocesan publications and on-line sites, most recently for Zenit. To learn more about Kathryn check out her thinking at: www.atravelersview.org">ATravelersView.org.
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