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Christmas, Cycle C
December 25, 2012
Saint Margaret Parish, Bel Air
The Difference Between Night
and Day
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P.
Amato
When Night Ends
Some
centuries ago, a wise old rabbi once asked his students how they could tell
when night had ended and day was on its way back.
A
student responded, “Could it be when you see an animal in the distance and
can tell whether it is a sheep or a dog?” The old rabbi answered, “No!”
Another
student said, “Could it be when you look at a tree in the distance and can
tell whether it is a fig tree or a peace tree?” And again the old
rabbi answered, “No!”
Now
the students were becoming frustrated. “Well, then, when is it?”
The
old rabbi pondered a moment and then gently said, “It is when you look on
the face of any man or woman and see that he or she is your brother or sister.
Because if you cannot do that, then no matter what time it is, it is
still night for you.”
O
Holy Night
Tonight,
we celebrate a very holy night.
We
celebrate a night that the famous Christmas Carol address as O Holy Night.
And we call this night Holy because what happens on his night
marks or intends to mark the end of night.
The
birth of Jesus Christ, the incarnation of the son of God, the Word of God
taking on human flesh – however we state it – is the moment when “day is on
its way back,” to use the words of the rabbi in the story.
In
Jesus Christ night is ending and day is returning in several ways.
Day Returns: Brothers and
Sisters
First,
the infant in Bethlehem can be seen as embracing all human beings.
This
little innocent child attracts and reaches out to the poor, lower class,
uneducated shepherds. And he also attracts and reaches out to the more
affluent, upper class, educated wise men.
With
his outstretched arms, Jesus wants to be loved and love everyone as a brother or
sister. With him, the day is on its way back for us also as we look on
the face of man, woman, or child and see our oneness with them.
The
words of O Holy Night express this very truth.
“Truly
He taught us to love one another;
His
law is love and His Gospel is peace.”
Day Returns: Self-Worth
Secondly,
the infant in Bethlehem manger also affirms the worth of every single one of us
here tonight and everywhere.
God
by taking on our humanity proclaims the inherent worth of each person. No
longer do we need to look for self-worth or self-esteem in any other person, in
any other place, or in any other object.
The
Son of God in this little human body has fused the divine with the human and the
night of self-doubt and self-deprecation, feeling bad about ourselves is over.
The
day has come to reverence the value of each person, from our first moment in
the womb to our last breath before meeting God face-to-face.
And
again, the words of O Holy Night capture this truth.
“Long
lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till
He appeared and the soul felt its worth.”
Day Returns: Hope
And
finally, the infant in Bethlehem so importantly gives us hope.
Sometimes
we all – myself included – can grow weary trying to keep up with the stresses
of everyday life. We can feel weary as we look at the extent of the
problems facing our country and our world.
In
the midst of this, this beautiful infant gives us the hope of “Emmanuel –
God is with us.”
He
offers us the assurance of his presence each step of life’s way, sustaining us
and guiding us until our personal night and darkness begins to end and our
personal day and light start to come back.
And
again, the words of O Holy Night lift up this hope.
“A
thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
For
yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.”
Conclusion
So,
the night begins to end and the day is on its way back.
The
infant in Bethlehem enables us to:
Ø
See
all persons as brothers and sisters
Ø
Lifts
up our self-worth in a way that no one else and nothing else can do
Ø
And
by gives us hope for life
That’s
why we sing: “O holy night, the stars are brightly
shining; It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth!”
