Weekly HOMILY for December 25, 2006: Apple Pie and the Son of God

Christmas, Cycle C
Our Lady of Grace
December 25, 2006

Apple Pie and the Son of God
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


Apple Pie

Behold the apple pie; hm-m-m-m-m-m. (Show the pie.)

How many like apple pie? (Pull out one slice.) This pie has an important lesson to teach us.

What can we say about the slice?

It’s (1) Like what it came from in substance, (2) It has the same flavor as the rest of the pie, (3) It looks pretty much the same as the pie, (3) It has the same ability to satisfy a hungry person.


How Are We Like That Slice of Pie?

We are like that slice of apple pie. We have been created by God. And the created thing – the piece of pie – is always like the creator – the pie.

And just as the painting tells us something about the painter, and the song tells us something about the composer, and the baby tells us something about the parents,

In a similar way we are like the God who created us.

And like the slice of pie, God holds us in existence just as the piece needs the source, just as the source needs the piece to achieve the pie’s purpose, that is, to satisfy, delight, enthrall.


What We’re Not

What else does the analogy or comparison say about us on this Christmas Eve (Morning)?

Fundamentally, it says we’re not just a bag of skin filled with bones and muscle and organs.

So then, how can we be sure that we are in fact a “slice of the pie,” a slice of God, so to speak?

And that is what Christmas is all about. We can be sure we’re a slice of the pie because of three reasons.


What We Are

First, God told us we are: he created us out of nothing and created us in his very own image, that is, he made us like himself. He loved us in creating us and wants us to be part of him.

Second, God sent his son to connect the slice to the pie. It’s as if the slice wandered far from the pie and forgot where it came from. By becoming one with us – as slice – and forgiving us our sins, he’s brought us back to God, back to the pie.

Third, the angel called Jesus, Emmanuel, which means “God-with-us.” That no matter where this slice of pie would go, Jesus as Emmanuel would with us because he is now part of our spirit.


Application

What’s that mean for us? We’ve been created, saved from our sins, linked to the pie AND we’re a slice of the pie for others to enjoy.

Thus, we are godly and we can do godly things: we have the flavor to lift people up, to make them smile, to create a sense of community.

We have the appearance of God: we can be God’s mercy and forgiveness when others have sinned, God’s clarity and understanding when others are confused.

We have the ability to satisfy as God satisfies: that is, we have the answers to ultimate and important questions regarding why are we here on earth? What does life really mean? Where is my life headed? What will heaven be like?


Conclusion

May every slice of apple pie we ever eat remind us of Christmas and the joy that is ours knowing we’re a son or daughter of God.

And like the old Jefferson’s sit come of many years ago where the theme song was: “We’ve finally got a piece of the pie-ie-ie,” I’d say we are a piece of the pie, where and the pie is God and Jesus’ birth helps us understand the mystery of being God for others.