I hope you had a great Christmas with family and friends and found some time to rest and take time off work during this week. If you were working, I hope you at least had some time to slow down just a little to absorb the profundity of the message of Christmas—God loves us so much he became one of us.
At the Christmas Eve Mass with the children I held up an infant only 2 months old, saying how God chose to become a baby infant like that little child in all its vulnerability and powerlessness. God did not become a strong man who was big and powerful. God did not try to overpower us with strength or coerce us with influence. Instead, God became one of us, a helpless baby needing love and care. He invites us into His heart of love through vulnerability and helplessness.
As Ron Rolheiser puts it: “God’s power, like a baby sleeping in its crib, lies in our world as a quiet invitation, not as a threat or coercion. When Christ took on flesh in our world in Bethlehem two thousand years ago and then died seemingly helpless on a cross in Jerusalem some thirty years later, this is what was revealed: the God who is incarnated in Jesus Christ enters into human suffering rather than stands clear of it, is in solidarity with us rather than standing apart from us, manifests that the route to glory is downward rather than upward, stands with the poor and powerless rather than with the rich and powerful, invites rather than coerces, and is more manifest in a baby than in a superstar.”
The challenge of Christmas is to live that message of vulnerability and powerlessness by being gentle, kind and loving to all in our lives throughout the year ahead. That is a tall order! Maybe that can be our New Year challenge for ourselves—to live our faith in small ways in the year ahead.
It will be hard because in our human frailty, we will fail as often as we succeed. But that is the beauty of a community of faith—we don’t claim to get it right all the time but strive to be trying all the time. We need each other to succeed in our challenge to love as Jesus did, to be vulnerable as he was vulnerable, to stand with the weak and powerless as he did and to be faithful to his Father in heaven as he was. I believe for us to be successful at this challenge we need the habit of prayer each day and we need to come together every week in community.
Maybe the best New Year’s resolution we can make this year is to practice our faith in small ways each day by being a little kinder, gentler, and more loving. To strive to be our best selves and allow God’s great gift of vulnerability and powerlessness to slowly transform us.
I would like to thank those who served our Saint Simon community leading up to Christmas and throughout this past year. Thank you to: Clare D’Agostino and the Environment Committee for decorating our Church so beautifully; a special note of thanks to Art Carmichael, Scott Kusich, Bob Franceschini and many other families for providing the Christmas trees as they have for many years; Erika Ibarra & Jim Todd and the Mass Coordinators, David Mendenhall and the Lectors, Margo Isola and the Eucharistic Ministers; Carol Karer and our young Altar Servers; Tamami Honma and the cantors, choir members and musicians for enriching our Masses; Jurgen Kehrke and the entire Tech team for all their work during Masses and on LiveStream; and many others behind the scenes who help launder linens, water plants and assist us in the Parish Office. Our community would not be the same without you! Fr. Thuc, Fr. Chris and I sincerely thank you for all you do.
Happy New Year!
God Bless,
Fr. Brendan