- Only a few days ago downed power lines and collapsed tree branches greeted us
- Only a few days ago road ways were blocked and water lines were clogged
- Only a few days ago candle light and battery power lead us along the way
- Only a few days ago darkness enveloped and dampness encircles us
The storm which hit us only a few days ago shook us to the point of not knowing if light would return. For some - including several parish families in Puslinch - this darkness remains this Christmas! For some they now - in a very real way - know what it means to be out of their home for Christmas as they stay with relatives, celebrate Christmas in a motel, seek shelter with a neighbor - they feel the cold not of a stable but of a shelter unfamiliar to them and a next day not completely known. But not just for them. Darkness and Dampness remains too:
• For those who at this time of year recall a loved one - son, spouse, sibling who has died.
• For those who at this time of year revisit a Christmas of old where more was possible financially and a future seemed secure.
• For those who at this time of year remember a time when cancer was not a word they knew, where chaos was not a sentiment they felt, when caution was not an approach they undertook.
And yet today we gather - size and shape, young aged and anxious teen, adult at their prime or senior walking cautiously - we gather to celebrate a mystery that even in darkness is seen, even in uncertainty is heard - the mystery ...the message
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; you will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
• For those who at this time of year recall a loved one - son, spouse, sibling who has died.
• For those who at this time of year revisit a Christmas of old where more was possible financially and a future seemed secure.
• For those who at this time of year remember a time when cancer was not a word they knew, where chaos was not a sentiment they felt, when caution was not an approach they undertook.
And yet today we gather - size and shape, young aged and anxious teen, adult at their prime or senior walking cautiously - we gather to celebrate a mystery that even in darkness is seen, even in uncertainty is heard - the mystery ...the message
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; you will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Our new Holy Father, Pope Francis - who celebrates his first Christmas with us as Universal Pastor wrote some time ago: “Knowing Jesus is the best gift that anyone can ever receive. That we have encountered Him is the best thing that has happened in our lives. Making Him known by our deeds and words is our greatest joy.”
You see that is the light. You see that is the warmth. You see He is the Way ! But that light is seen.That warmth is felt only ....only....in an encounter with Christ found when we share Him. As a Family of Faith we have sought to be that encounter with Christ - it has been seen - the light has shown : a light ................
- made with 480 red stocking of school supplies collected given to an African school
- made with 210 toys available to children and families in need in our own community
- made when we collected blankets and back packs, served meals for the homeless and offered shelter and bought generators for those truly Out in the Cold.
- made when a hosting a baby shower for young mothers, or collecting food, toothbrushes and even electronics
- made when constructing a well of water for a village in Haiti or blankets made of milk bags to mothers seeks a place of rest for their baby
- that light has been present in prayer 24 hours a day - 365 days a year in an Adoration Chapel and seen in a glowing red light a top our tower to say He is here!
As a Family of Faith we have sought to be that encounter with Christ - it has been felt - that warmth has been sensed ................
- when we have received and distributed mitten and toques to children and teens in need
- when we have offered compassion to those bereaved, a gathering place for those divorced, a stop over for those seeking a place of prayer, a small group for those who wish to grow in faith
- when we have dropped off a meal to an expectant mother, when we have purchased a portable air conditioner for an elderly apartment dweller, when we have ensured a hearing aide for one in need or a kind card for a lonely soul that proclaims you are not forgotten
As Pope Benedict XVI would often say - ‘Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.’”
This is our family of faith - we encounter Him, we engage with Him....We like those Shepherds say “ Let us go and see what has been proclaimed to us...and so we too set out....”
- Set out - even though darkness still exists
- Set out - even though barriers still block our way
- Set out - even though dampness surrounds us
- Set out - even though the storm may come again
We set out - because we have met Him, and He knows us - We Set out because we have been told of Him and now seek to tell others of Him.
Do you know what my Christmas Wish is ....
▸ That this Christmas you will see His Light
▸ That this Christmas even in a season of storms you might sense His warmth
▸ That this Christmas that winds of sorrow, sadness, uncertainty, confusion might be calmed
▸ That this Christmas you might truly be able to say I have encountered Him...in the light and warmth of this family of faith - and as a result - set out with us to let His light shine!