Merry Christmas!
From your Nazareth College Catholic Community
Merry Christmas!
“Christ always seeks the straw of the most desolate cribs to make his Bethlehem.”
~ Thomas Merton
"Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ has come uninvited. But because he cannot be at home in it – because he is out of place in it, and yet must be in it – his place is with those others who do not belong, who are rejected because they are regarded as weak; and with those who are discredited, who are denied the status of persons, and are tortured, exterminated. With those for whom there is no room, Christ is present in this world. He is mysteriously present in those for whom there seems to be nothing but the world at its worst."
~ Thomas Merton, Watch for the Light
On this Christmas day we recall how God chose for Jesus to be born, not into a rich or powerful family, but rather into family whom today would be considered refugees. Ironically a family, who many today now claim Christ as their savior, would reject. Jesus being born into an economically poor and socially powerless situation sends a clear reminder that God is always present with those who have been cast aside by society. Just as God entrusted Mary and Joseph with Jesus; God entrusts each of us to care for those who the world considers to be unlovable.
God also chose Jesus to enter into this world in the form of an infant. An infant who relied on the love and care of its family and community in order to survive. God could have chosen to simply arrive and make God’s self present in any form of God’s choosing. Instead, by choosing to be born, God emphasized that human beings were necessary partners in the Incarnation. Humans are needed for God’s love to become present in the world.
Over 2000 years later, God continues to become present in our lives and world in infant type ways. Ways that encourage us to become involved, to engage the world, to advocate for peace and work for justice. As Thomas Merton suggests in the above quote, God always makes God’s self-known to those in the most desolate of situations – we are called to do the same. We are the ones who are charged to find those desolate cribs of our communities, campus, country, and world and do what we can to make them better.
Our country and world is facing much division, violence and worry. Today is a day that we find hope in the face of tremendous obstacles. In Christmas we are assured that we are not alone. God, Emmanuel, is indeed with is! Christmas calls each of us to be active makers of peace, justice and inclusion. Today we are given a gift, a gift of hope and the gift of an invitation to bring hope to others. How are you being invited to share your gifts with the world?
I pray that you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!
Christmas Peace, Joy and Hope,
~ Jamie
Jamie R. Fazio, M.Div.
Catholic Chaplain
Nazareth College
December 25, 2016