Word to the Wise
Monday, December 25, 2017 - Christmas: Mass at Dawn - ABC
[Isa 62:11-12; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2:15-20][T]he shepherds said to one another, "Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us." So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. [Luke]
The shepherds have heard the "good news of great joy' (at Midnight Mass!) and now they go to see for themselves. Once they see for themselves the proclaim it to others and glorify God. In this simple sequence, we have the whole process of faith and proclamation! As the Letter to Titus (second scripture for this Mass) proclaims: "[T]he kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared..." What may escape us in this story is that shepherds were not considered "the cream of the crop" among people at the time. The joyful news of the birth of Jesus is proclaimed to the lowliest and they make the message known in their turn! This is the fundamental story of the gospel.
But this good news of great joy is not just ancient. It is ever new and is proclaimed in us through our faith and visibly in our homes and churches and anywhere a manger scene is welcome! It is proclaimed to others by those of us who, as Pope Francis has taught us, have taken hold of the "joy of the gospel" and share that joy as "missionary disciples." In short, the angels did not come to whisper a secret but to shout good news of great joy! "ALLELUIA!" isn't just for Easter! We can proclaim to one another "Christ is born!" just as we can proclaim "Christ is risen!" A moment of wonder on this day in front of the manger scene can help us do what Mary does in the gospel scripture for this Mass at Dawn: "And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." But then the work of spreading the good news of great joy begins. Say it out loud to one another and to all: CHRIST IS BORN! ALLELUIA! Amen