Praised be Jesus, Mary, and
Joseph!
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| Mary opened her heart to the shepherds. |
One of the reasons why Jesus was
born in a stable was Mary’s need for privacy as she gave birth to her
first-born Son. Because the inn was filled with people, it was impossible for
her to get the privacy she needed in giving birth. Thus, the stable was the
best place for her to deliver the child. It may have been a place for
animals…and yet there was the privacy she needed for the birth of God’s Son to
take place. Thus, that she would open the stable and admit the visit of
shepherds is to me a surprise. First of all, these shepherds were completely
strangers to her. She did not know them. And we have to abandon the stereotype
we give these shepherds as cute little drummer boys. These shepherds were
rugged men who were accustomed to the outdoor life – perhaps the kind that you
would hesitate to welcome into your own home. Nevertheless, she welcomed them
and even opened her heart to them. She listened to their story of angels
delivering a message about her new-born Son. “All were amazed by what had been
told them by the shepherds”…all, including Mary who “kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.” Opening her heart to the shepherds, Mary was
further enriched in her faith. It made her heart expand more in charity. She
welcomed God’s Son into her heart and then in her womb. Now, she welcomed the
shepherds into the stable…and then in her heart.
The Church is also a mother…just
like Mary. In fact, Mary is Mother and model of the Church. She is what the
Church wishes and should be. Therefore, in the new evangelization, the Church
must imitate Mary. Pope Francis wrote: “The Church is called to be the house of
the Father, with doors always wide open. One concrete sign of such openness is
that our church doors should always be open, so that if someone, moved by the
Spirit, comes there looking for God, he or she will not find a closed door.
There are other doors that should not be closed either. Everyone can share in
some way in the life of the Church; everyone can be part of the community, nor
should the doors of the sacraments be closed for simply any reason. This is
especially true of the sacrament which is itself ‘the door’: baptism. The
Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for
the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak. These
convictions have pastoral consequences that we are called to consider with
prudence and boldness. Frequently, we act as arbiters of grace rather than its
facilitators. But the Church is not a tollhouse; it is the house of the Father,
where there is a place for everyone, with all their problems.” [Francis,
Evangelii Gaudium, 47.] Sometimes, we close our churches for fear of being
burglarized. And this is a legitimate concern. However, we must keep in mind
that our churches are not museums or storage houses of precious artifacts. It
is the house of God and its opened doors should reflect the opened heart of the
Father.
The Church is the house of the
Father with its doors always widely opened. And like Mary who listened to the
shepherds, we must also take time to listen to the stories of those who enter
the Church. “A Church which ‘goes forth’ is a
Church whose doors are open. Going out to others in order to reach the fringes
of humanity does not mean rushing out aimlessly into the world. Often it is
better simply to slow down, to put aside our eagerness in order to see and
listen to others, to stop rushing from one thing to another and to remain with
someone who has faltered along the way. At times we have to be like the father
of the prodigal son, who always keeps his door open so that when the son
returns, he can readily pass through it.” (EG, 46.)
As the
shepherds went out and amazed all with their story of what they heard and seen,
so must we also be bearers of this glad tidings to all, especially to the poor.
“If the whole Church takes up this missionary impulse, she has to go forth to
everyone without exception. But to whom should she go first? When we read the
Gospel we find a clear indication: not so much our friends and wealthy
neighbours, but above all the poor and the sick, those who are usually despised
and overlooked, ‘those who cannot repay you’ (Lk 14:14). There can be no room for doubt
or for explanations which weaken so clear a message. Today and always, ‘the
poor are the privileged recipients of the Gospel’, and the fact that it is freely
preached to them is a sign of the kingdom that Jesus came to establish. We have
to state, without mincing words, that there is an inseparable bond between our
faith and the poor. May we never abandon them.” (EG, 48.)
Let this
new year be truly a renewed opportunity for our conversion. Like Mary, may our
parish be a more welcoming parish. May we be a more missionary parish. May we
be eager to amaze people with our stories of what we have seen and heard. Let
us go forth to everyone without exception.
Jesus, I
trust in you. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to
thee.
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