St. Bede-St. Denis Parish Home

My dear brothers and sisters:

 

Efficiency is one of the banners that waves in our society. We have fostered a functionalist mentality in which people seem to be valued only for what they do, and in which not achieving things immediately generates frustration. Loneliness is one of the problems of our time. It takes on dramatic dimensions when physical loneliness affects the elderly in the final stage of their lives, but no less painful is the emotional loneliness that can cause young people and people of all ages to feel without reference points, disoriented, without affection or support to help them in life.

 

This Sunday’s Gospel reveals to us how the Almighty decided to exercise his power to manifest himself to human beings. Instead of the path of efficiency, God chose the path of weakness: the insecurity of a woman who is troubled by the announcement she received; a man who needs his fears calmed; a defenseless child who will be born in the open, in need of the most basic necessities. What a plan God had! He chose to be human, with all the consequences that entails, so that from that night in Bethlehem onward, no one would ever again feel utterly alone.

 

In that child, the "God with us" is revealed, and that is why those of us who believe in him know that God’s presence is not a thing of the past and that today Jesus continues to walk, speak, breathe, and work with us. God has dignified poverty, loneliness, and anguish because his unique way of being powerful was to share all of this in his own flesh. God has transformed any of our weaknesses into an opportunity to feel especially accompanied, loved, and preferred by him.

 

Contemplating the mystery of Bethlehem in this world of efficiency that discards those who are no longer useful, and in which many people can feel alone because they think they are worthless, radically transforms this reality. God is born in fragility to accompany our weaknesses. God proclaims hope, peace, and joy. With Mary and Joseph, we approach Bethlehem to contemplate the mystery of God, the mystery of Christmas.

 

Happy Sunday!

 

 

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