Midnight Mass

Isaiah 9:2-4, 6-7 Ps 96 Titus 2:11-14  Luke 2:1-16

Theme: Bring Peace and Order into Chaos.

1. Isaiah addresses a People living in darkness. “Which People and what darkness” is Isaiah speaking about.  It is the People of Israel first under Assyrian seize and then taken in exile in Babylon. There is no hope, no strength, no freedom for them.  Isaiah tells them that God has not forgotten them, God still carries them in the palm of his hand.

2. It seems that we need that same message today: The Arab Spring has turned into an Arab winter. Hosni Mubarak, Mohammed Khadafy, Kim Jung Ill have gone. People lived in fear of their live under these despots. However, now that they have gone, the world is tense. The people in these countries do not know what the future holds for them. Their future is in darkness.

We too need light in our dark uncertain future. But we do not need to go far. In our own families and parishes, we have darkness.

• The Darkness of people who bully us and cause us fear and anxiety in our apartment buildings and at work.
• The Darkness of uncertain in job losses, of pay cuts, of rent increases.
• The Darkness of health – the fear of cancer, diabetes, arthritis, Parkinson.
• The Darkness of worry, financial difficulties, aging parents

3. There is light in this darkness. But the path is not easy. We would desire instant relief like instant coffee. But there are no quick fixes in a gradual maturity.

Story: A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared.  He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. The man decided to help the butterfly.  He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.

 The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. It struggled for a while and then died. The struggle required for the   butterfly to get through the tiny opening was God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. It never got that chance.

If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!

The light comes into our lives gradually. When it does so, we are not blinded. God seems to use a dimmer switch gradually increasing the brilliance for us to see through the darkness. We know the story of the brilliant light on Paul on the Road to Damascus. He was blinded!

4. The light in our case is setting peace and harmony in our chaotic world and in our personal chaotic lives. God does this by creating once again a people for whom God cares. This new creation does not come from doing more penances, saying more prayers, making more sacrifices. If a new world depended on this, we achieve salvation ourselves. We would not need a little child born in Bethlehem.

 God is going to achieve these things. It is creating a new spirit, a new race, a new people. The light comes gradually into our lives.  But it does not mean, all of us are going to accept this Light of Christ.

Story: There was man who was an man suffering from depression who came to a teacher to ask help. Step by step he was brought out of deceit, depression, and dejection. One weekend his teacher had to be a way. When he returned his pupil was back into depression. His teacher asked “Why?” The client replied, I came up into the light and found it too bright for my eyes, so I decided to go back to darkness where I was comfortable.

5. Our Gospel starts with a story of power and might. Those in power give orders. They expect to be obeyed. Their lives create the history we learn in books. However, these powers must one day come to an end. The leaders like Khadafy, Kim Jung Ill, all thought they had an answer to the problems. They believed they were the answer. They did not realize that all human histories are just pawns on the chess board of God’s history.  These leaders move people around. Lives are affected. Lives are disturbed. There is chaos and confusion. We long for peace and harmony in this chaos. But in the end we will find that the Kingdom and the power of God will reign now and forever.

• Mary and Joseph’s lives were disrupted
• They had to moved. It was inconvenient. Mary was pregnant.
• But in the end, what God spoke through the prophets would come true.

Out of the stump of Jesse, a Saviour would be born.  So Mary and Joseph would have to go to Bethlehem, where Jesus, the Son of David would be born

• Thy Kingdom Come.
• The Angels speak ot the Shepherds. These look cute on Christmas Cards. But they were considered to be of low castes and thieves. They were unimportant. But the Message was brought to them first.
• Thy Kingdom Come.
• From Matthew’s Gospel we will learn of the wise men who came from the East. They were foreigners, outsiders, they did not belong. But God’s message comes into the world to people we might describe as wrong!
• Thy Kingdom Come.
• On this Christmas Day, God is coming to set things in Order. Peace and Harmony will reign in the Chaos and Confusion. May the Peace of the Little Child born in a Manger, be a source of harmony and joy to each and every one of you.
• Thy Kingdom Come.

Appendix

Kim Jung Ill and Vaclav Havel died at the same time. One was a tyrant and a despot. Havel was a well beloved person who was honoured and respected by all. The TV stations gave five minutes and the headlines of its programme to all the idiosyncrasies of the North Korean Leader. Havel’s life was covered in a 15 second clip!!  The good, just and honest leaders do not get any attention in this world.