The Nativity of our Lord Jesus (C) 25th December 2024

The reflections for Sundays and Solemnities is an activity of Society of St Paul, India A Reflection by: FR COLMAN CARLOS Our Lady of the Rosary, Goregaon, MUMBAI ------------------------------------------------- Christmas: finding Christ in the pain and Suffering of others The parents of the local school were apprehensive of dealing with the counsellor because during their childhood, she was very rude, would always fight and was very unapproachable. A few years earlier they couldn’t even approach her to offer condolences after her parents passed away in a tragic accident. She was rude to the police and the undertaker at the time of the funeral and so the people left as fast as possible after the service. This uneasiness soon changed as the counsellor began to speak. She spoke of her childhood and the difficulty her parents had because of her behaviour towards people. Although her parents had changed location, her behaviour did not change and she buried herself in reading. After her parents death she was forced to meet various people like Insurance investigators, police, lawyers, undertakes and many more. None of them would leave as they wanted to do their job and finish it . No matter how rough she was they spoke kindly to her. One person who was always present during any discussions ,like a mediator, was the forensic psychologist . She was the one who broke through her defences and was able to see her adjust in society. She then made it her mission to study counselling so she could reach out to children and help them. The experience of the counsellor feeling liberated can be likened to that of Christmas where we see people in darkness have seen a great light, people who have been burdened have found this burden is now lifted. The Joy and peace that this Child will bring will be ours if we take a clue from the Christmas story. When Mary and Joseph journeyed to Bethlehem, we are told that there was no room for them in the Inn. We can understand this as either our hearts are occupied with unnecessary desires and hurt that we are not able to allow Christ into lives. This is what John the Baptist also told the people at that time in order to prepare themselves to receive Christ . Another way of understanding the Inn is that it is a temporary place of residence, it is meant for visitors and the owner of the place does not have a personal relation but business relationship with the guests. The stable, on the other hand is a place where the owner cares about his livestock and looks after them. It is the extended or part of his own house and the manger, a place from where cattle feed themselves, gives us a hint of the Eucharist. This Child will leave us as a memorial, his body and blood to be spiritual food for our journey here on earth. Today the Angels continue to sing to us “Glory to God in the highest…” but are we at peace here on earth? There is climatic disturbance and changes, our lifestyles and standard of living has gone up as well as the level of poverty. I can’t imagine that in the 21st century , with all technological advancement we use it to destroy lives in war rather than find ways to alleviate suffering and pain. Today the call is to visit the place where Christ is born in the sick, suffering and those struggling to survive. The Angels continue to sing Glory to God in the highest when we, as a community through our SVP and core group reach out to families in need, when we visit the sick the home bound through our Legion of Mary and animators, when we seek justice for the oppressed though our Parish associations the Angels continue to sing as we find Christ in the little things we do to reach out to others . God found a way of reaching out to us and calls us to do the same. Let the Christmas spirit continue in our lives celebrating Christmas not just on a single day but every time we touch and bring joy peace and happiness in each other’s lives