Christmas Traditions

I have a story about a grandmother who lives with her daughter and son-in-law and two young children. Something happened that made a lasting impression on grandma. Grandma was asked to babysit 3 month old Ben so that her daughter could have some one on one time with her 4 year old Issac. Dad was out of town for business so it was a good weekend to devote to Isaac. Grandma was sitting in their living room and she could hear her daughter getting Isaac’s piggy bank off his shelf.  She heard money clinking as she explained that they were going to the store to buy a toy for a child that may not get one from anyone else. She had him take out some money and had him put it in his pocket. A 4 year old can't really grasp what they were about to do but grandma was impressed that they are starting him out at a young age doing this. They came home from the store with this beautiful big dump truck that they would give to an unknown little boy. Of course, Isaac wanted to play with it and hear the sounds it made but her daughter stood her ground and told him he was not allowed to play with it. Grandma thought that this was a lesson that children should be taught from a very young age, to know that they must help others in need. It may have been hard for Isaac to empty his pockets at the store but non-the less he did it and hopefully it will leave an impression on him to continue doing that in future.

Two weeks ago twenty children came into this sanctuary not to sit on the knee of Santa, but St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children. They had been asked by their religion teachers to go home and empty their piggy banks to buy a toy for some poor child in Wyoming County. I did not hear if anyone got grumpy and refused to part with their gift, but on that Sunday you could see the smiles of each child as they came up to St. Nick to give him a toy to help someone they would never see. Incredible, there were over 300 toys piled on the back pew that were delivered to Angel Action. Hopefully, this example will make a lasting impression as the kids as they grow up in life. That reminds me of another story.

Ten minutes before I was getting ready to drive to church, Sue gets a phone call from Maggie our next door neighbor that she thinks Kandee her 15 year old dog had broken its leg. Sue went over to the house and shared that Kandee was hurt and could not pick up her hind end. Kandee is Maggie’s faithful friend who walks along with Maggie on our farm for the past six years. Sue made an appointment with the vet but asked him if I could help put the dog in the car since he weighed over 50 pounds.

On Monday, Sue drove Kandee and Maggie to the vet. Later that morning, I get a call at the office that Kandee had to be put down. The X-rays showed a severe break in the hip and the other leg was also severely damaged. Tears fell from Maggie’s eyes because this dog was her best friend. Maggie was crying and could not be in the exam room, so Sue told Maggie that she would stay with Kandee so he would not be alone. Interruptions always come when we are busy but the decisions we make to help other in needs gives us peace of mind knowing that God is using us to bring His love to those in need. Helping people at the end of their life is what’s taking place next door. The former St. Nicholas convent is taking on a new life after being abandoned for decades. A group of enthusiastic volunteers from this county plan to renovate the convent and make it into the Charlotte Comfort Home, a hospice home for the dying and their families. All will be welcomed to use this free service. Patients don’t have to be Catholic. Anyone from any village or town will be welcomed. The mission of these volunteers is to bring the comfort and compassion of Christ to patients who are dying with hope and dignity. My final story is about this manger in front of the altar. I like you to focus on something you might never have thought about.

The first people to experience the coming of the savior were shepherds, those lowly, uneducated ones who lived among the animals. In our jargon, the misfits of today who might include the divorced, elderly, widows, children, migrants, the poor, physically and emotionally challenged, addicted, gay and anyone demeaned and rejected by society, family, sadly even the church.

Last Sunday, in this sanctuary your children put on a Nativity play. It’s playing on You Tube over the Internet and a wonderful story was published in the Batavia News on Wednesday. One scene that was special for me occurred when Joseph pulled out a blanket for Mary to lay down on to make her comfortable. I never read that in the Scripture, but it showed the compassion of this man for a young girl who already suffered shame for being an unwed woman. So when the angels came to the shepherds and God came into the world born in a feeding trough, we need to realize that Christ came first as Lord and Redeemer to anyone who has feel abandoned and misunderstood.

We are challenged at Christmas to do what Jesus and the angels did: bring the good news of redemption to the outcast and the lowly. The “tidings of great joy (are) to be shared by the whole people,” and no one is to be left out, not even the most hopeless or despicable person.

Christmas means living a life that allows your needs, and your desires, and your talents to all live in harmony. Where you spend your days doing the things that we have a God-given talent for. We are filled with a passion for life. I like to call that, “living in the zone.” The zone that God intends you to be in. God wants us to be alive and thriving, and joyful, and happy. There are many traditions that keep us busy during this season. You made your cookies, cut and decorated your tree, hung the lights, planned your dinner and now you have come tonight to this Christmas Mass.

What people have discovered at Holy Family is that their God-given talents are best used to better this community. It might be visiting the sick in a hospital, or bringing communion to a neighbor, it could be teaching our little ones about Jesus or preparing teens for Confirmation. During Advent, while the kids donated toys, their parents and parishioners donated over 300 gifts to help three poor families in Wyoming County buying socks and underwear. Or, it could be decorating the sanctuary, baking cookies for our social gatherings after Mass, sewing costumes for the children’s Nativity Pageant, or helping to renovate the convent for its future mission. Believe me, Holy Family is not short on using our God given talents to make his presence known. And what do you get in return, not another sweater or chia pet, a power tool or gas grill, maybe a new pony would be nice, but the feeling that God has chosen you to make this a better community, that you are living in the zone, the zone that God intends you to be.

If you ask anyone, what they want out of Christmas, simply put it’s to feel joy with the people that they love. That’s it. I want to have great joy and happiness with my friends, and my family, and my wife, and my children.

The surest way to happiness, is for me to become the-best-version-of-myself. When I strive to be the best dad, and the best husband, the best son, the best brother, the best neighbor, and the best friend that I could possibly be, I don’t have to go chasing after happiness. Happiness finds me. If you want to choose happiness this Christmas, choose to be the-best-version-of-yourself.

Scripture says: Mary gave birth to her first-born and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger. Christmas is a time to eat and celebrate, but it is also a time when we should realize more deeply that our vocation, like that of Jesus, is to let ourselves be eaten, as Christ’s flesh which is food for the life of the world.

Another tradition comes from a mother who used to set out a little manger for her kids and ask them to place a little piece of straw in it every time they made some small sacrifice: “To make a bed for the baby Jesus.” That’s not bad piety, it’s good theology!

Finally, one tradition you might want to add this year is when you exchange gifts, take 2 or 3 minutes, to say to the other person that you’re giving the gift to, what it is about them that you love, what’s special, and honor them for who they are. Everybody has something that they deserve to be honored for, and everybody needs to be told that they’re loved. Not only does it give you an opportunity to express your love for that person—to tell them why you love them and what’s so special about them—but it slows down Christmas morning and makes it much more about our relationship with Jesus and our relationship with each other. It’s a way for you to focus on the person instead of the gift.

Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends in gratitude for their support and prayers throughout the years. May the Lord bless you and your family, and give you much happiness and joy with all your loved ones during the Christmas Season.