Weekly HOMILY for Christmas December 25, 2011: What's in a Song?

Christmas, Cycle B
December 25, 2011
Saint Margaret Church, Bel Air, MD
Our Lady of Grace Church, Parkton, MD

What’s in a Song?
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM

Back in the nineteenth century, in the 1870’s, there was an American preacher named Phillips Brooks.

One December, shortly before Christmas, Phillips Brooks visited the Holy Land. On that Christmas Eve, he made the trip from Jerusalem to Bethlehem on horseback.

From a distance, Brooks saw the little town of Bethlehem lit up against the darkness of the night. That sight made a great impression on him and a year later it inspired Brooks to write some verses.

His church organist quickly composed a tune to go with them. That hymn has become a standard for our celebration of Christmas. I’d like to speak it to you so you can listen carefully to the words.

“O little town of Bethlehem,
How still we see thee lie! (gesture)
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by; (gesture)
Yet in thy dark streets shineth (gesture)
The everlasting light; (gesture)
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.” (gesture)


INTERPLAY OF DARKNESS AND LIGHT IN SCRIPTURE

“Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light” – those words have really captured my attention this Christmas. They express the contrast between darkness and light that Christmas is all about.

In tonight’s 1st reading, the Prophet Isaiah says: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom, a light has shone.”

Isaiah is looking ahead to a moment when God will penetrate the darkness that fills so much of our lives with gloom. He foresees a moment when God will break through and be a light penetrating that darkness.

We now see Isaiah’s prophecy fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. And yet, it is interesting that even the story of Jesus’ birth tells us that the star which guides the Wise Men to Bethlehem does not drive all the darkness away.

Instead, the light of that star shines in the darkness and is a steady sign and guide. I suggest that for us, the light of Bethlehem operates in much the same way.


LIGHT AND DARKNESS TODAY

Each one of us, perhaps each in a different or similar ways experiences some form of darkness. In that very darkness, we are invited and even urged to look to the light of Bethlehem.

Perhaps we find ourselves in the darkness of ANXIETY ABOUT OUR FINANCIAL SECURITY or our job. In this darkness, the light of Bethlehem gives us hope by finding our real security in Jesus and by trusting that God’s providential care will watch over us.

Perhaps we find ourselves in the darkness of FEELING LONELY AND ISOLATED after the death of a spouse or other loved one. In this darkness, the light of Bethlehem assures us of Emmanuel, God-with-us, as we walk through the tunnel until we reemerge into fuller light.

Perhaps we find ourselves in the darkness of DOUBT AND QUESTIONING, of wondering why we are living and what we really believe. In this darkness, the light of Bethlehem gives us a vision for where we are going and how to get there.

Perhaps we find ourselves in the darkness of COLD, OF A MARRIAGE THAT HAS GROWN COLD or of alienation from a child or parent or close friend. In this darkness, the light of Bethlehem offers us the warmth of God’s love and moves us to extend and accept signs and glimmers of that love.

Or finally, perhaps we find ourselves in the darkness of FEELING STUCK, TRAPPED in some habit or addiction or compulsion that is self-defeating and destructive. In this darkness, the light of Bethlehem assures that human growth is always a possibility and invites us to search like the Magi for persons or programs that can help us with that growing.


CONCLUSION

So, “In thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light.”

The light shines in the darkness of Bethlehem and it shines today in our own darkness, as well.

Yes, the darkness remains, but – and that a big “but” – there is indeed light with the birth of Jesus, Emmanuel, God-with-us.

Let’s look to that light in whatever darkness we may have. Let us allow the light of Jesus lead us to:
➢ Hope
➢ Comfort
➢ Vision
➢ Warmth and
➢ Growth
All are the gifts that only the light of Bethlehem can give us.