HOLY FAMILY, 2019
The biggest Nativity Set I think I ever saw was in an old, old church in Rome, called Saint Alessio. The Nativity Set took up the whole basement of the church. Of course, a traditional Nativity Set is basically Mary and Joseph, the cow and the donkey, shepherds and sheep, and the three kings. The Nativity Set of Saint Alessio had the traditional scene, of course . . . but it had a bit more. In fact, it had a whole lot more. The Nativity Set of Saint Alessio had many scenes . . . the first scene was the Creation of the World . . . there was the sun and the planets, and there was a miniature Adam and a miniature Eve . . . even a miniature Tree of Life and a miniature serpent to go with it. The next scene was Noah and the Ark and all the animals, there was even rainbow. Then there was Abraham and Isaac on the Mountain of Sacrifice . . . and then Moses with the Ten Commandments. Then there was the traditional nativity scene, but that wasn't the end of the story. The next scene was the Baptism of Jesus, followed by the Temptation in the Desert. Then there was the Sermon on the Mount, the Last Supper, the Agony in the Garden, the Crucifixion and Resurrection, and finally the very last scene . . . Saint Peter's Square in Rome . . . with the facade of the Basilica of Saint Peter in the background . . . and an Alitalia jetliner taking off and landing around the obelisk in the middle of the piazza. And there was a caption. It read . . . "Go into all the world and tell the Good News!" And you know, that really is the rest of the story.
You know, when the shepherds heard the message from the angel, they didn’t stay in the field with their flocks . . . no they went in search of the child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
When the Magi saw the star, they didn’t stay in their comfortable homes . . . no they traveled from afar, following the star until it came to rest over the place where the child was.
When we have celebrated Christmas . . . we’ve given over 7,000 gifts for kids . . . and we think that now we can put Christmas behind us until next year . . . well, the gospel reminds us that the story is just beginning. And there’s still more work to be done.
For the Holy Family, an immigrant family, is still running for its life . . . parents struggle to find work, children are separated, some kept in cages. The richest few make trillions in surplus wealth, while the rest of humanity goes hungry. In a world that wants to get on with business as usual, the church says, “Not so fast.” Christmas is not over and done with. Like Mary who reflected on all these things and treasured them in her heart . . . we too need to remember the story of the Holy Family, the whole story . . . not just the child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger . . . but also the exile to Egypt. Because the powers that be always want to search for and destroy the Child. The story of the Holy Family is the story of every family in need. Until every family is safe and secure, the Holy Family is still in need. And the story is not over, but goes on until we play our part.
Because the birth of the Christ Child means we’re all family now . . . brothers and sisters to the one lying in the manger, brothers and sisters to one another, members of the new family of God, God’s Holy Family of Grace.
♫ While shepherds kept their watching
o’er silent flocks by night,
Behold, throughout the heavens
There shone a holy light. ♫
♫ Go, tell it on the mountain,
Over the hills and everywhere
Go, tell it on the mountain,
That Jesus Christ is born. ♫
And so, blessings on all our family, our great big, somewhat disorganized, and at times, very needy Holy Family!
