Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L.
Bishop of Scranton
HOMILY
Christmas – December 25, 2010
“You have nothing to fear! I come to proclaim good news to you – tidings of great joy to be shared by the whole people. This day in David’s city a savior has been born to you, the Messiah and Lord.” A savior has been born to you. A savior. Why a savior?
When I was growing up as a young boy, Christmas in my family was always celebrated with a large number of relatives. During my earliest years, it was spent at my grandmother’s house, where, in addition to the presence of my grandmother, there was always present a healthy smattering of her ten children, their spouses and 14 grandchildren. And I recall quite vividly, even to this day decades later, gathering around the table in grandmother’s large kitchen. Every kitchen chair, every dining room chair, every bench and stool was wedged around that table so that our family could be together.
Many years have passed from those early days of my childhood and like the tables in your homes, many of the faces that gather around them have changed over time. In my memory, my grandmother was the first to leave that table when she passed away. Cousins grew up, got married and started their own families and traditions. You have similar stories to tell.
Life changes for all of us, doesn’t it? People step out of our lives because of death and infirmity and we grieve their absence. People step out of our lives because of the brokenness of who we are, because of sin – and some families are torn apart because of pride and jealousy and all sorts of things. And for as wonderful and joyful as life can be, and should be, these days can remind us that there is a void in our lives, emptiness, a longing for something more – that no thing can satisfy, no person can fully soothe.
“You have nothing to fear! I come to proclaim good news to you – this day a savior has been born to you, the Messiah and Lord.” Why a savior? Because the brokenness of our world, the brokenness of our lives can’t be healed without one.
And who is the one who reveals this gift of salvation? A tiny, vulnerable child born in poverty, in a cave. In that child, the grace of God our savior has appeared. And so that child is called Jehoshua, Jesus, which means: “God saves.”
Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI captures the power of this singular event in salvation history. Listen to his words: “The proclamation of hope – the heart of the Christmas message – is meant for all men and women. Jesus was born for everyone, and just as Mary, in Bethlehem, offered him to shepherds, so on this day the Church presents him to all of humanity, so that each person and every human situation may come to know the power of God’s saving grace, which alone can transform evil into good, which alone can change human hearts, making them oases of peace.”
God comes into the reality of human existence. He becomes one like us in all things but sin. He embraces our lives – the laughter and joy – the suffering and sadness – the crosses, pain and death associated with each human journey. Yet in the mystery of God’s plan, because of Jesus’ own death and resurrection, he gives us a way – through faith – to life, eternity and peace.
But the Christ whose birth we celebrate this day also teaches us how to live – here, now – offering us glimpses of the peace that is promised in its fullness in eternity as we walk in his ways.
Because of the incarnation – Jesus being born as a human being – all of life has value – everyone of us in this Cathedral. All of life deserves to be treated with respect and dignity because all of life is made in the very image and likeness of God who took on human shape and form in a cave in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. Justice for all becomes a benchmark for how a follower of Christ should live. Peace, earned by the brave men and women of our armed forces in far off lands – and sought in our families and neighborhoods – becomes a valued treasure. Forgiveness, both generously granted and humbly received, becomes the means for realizing hope. And love, rooted in the selfless example of the Christ who gave his life for us, becomes our lifeline to God himself.
Archbishop Oscar Romero who was martyred in his own diocese over thirty years ago as he worked for the cause of peace offered this incredible perspective on who we are in relationship to God. “No one can celebrate a genuine Christmas without being truly poor. The self-sufficient, the proud, those who have no need of even God – for them there will be no Christmas. Only the poor, the hungry, those who need someone to come on their behalf, will have that someone. That someone is Emmanuel, God-with-us.”
All we need do to encounter Emmanuel, to receive the blessings of the Christ – here – today – is to be honest enough to acknowledge our brokenness and our need for God. All we need do is to open our eyes to see the Lord present to us at this table, the table of the Eucharist in which we receive his life and love. All we need do is to begin to recognize him in that part of creation made in his image and likeness – me and all of you.
Thank you for the privilege of allowing me the opportunity to see in you the goodness of God. Thank you for the privilege of serving as your Bishop. You give me hope as so many of you, because of your faith, look beyond the struggles and pain of life to live the gospel and to love generously and selflessly.
Years ago I came upon these words by an author unknown to me: “He who desires to see the living God face to face should seek him not in the empty firmament of his mind but in human love.”
As we bring joys and struggles to our tables during the next few hours and days – as we walk down this aisle to be fed from the table of the Lord, may we recognize the treasure of the living God in our midst. May we be filled with his presence through the Eucharist. May we honor and respect his presence in one another. And may we open our hearts to receive the blessing of his peace.
Merry Christmas!
