Luke 2:1-14
A book that has captured imaginations for over a generation is The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien was an active Catholic and that the story has many Christian themes. The Hobbit has recently been made into an incredibly popular series of three films. The second installment just came out. In the first movie, The Unexpected Journey, we see how Gandalf, a good wizard, helps form a group to send an important quest to liberate a land from an oppressive dragon. This group is almost entirely made out of strong dwarves who are proven warriors. There is one noticeable exception. Gandalf insists on including in the quest one hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. This decision is shockingly unexpected and the dwarves are opposed. How could this weak hobbit help defeat the evil dragon? It seems to go against all proper logic for waging war. But Gandalf, for reasons I will explain later, stands by his decision. He sees a power in Bilbo that the others do not. This scene seems to be a great analogy for what is happening at Christmas. Often the story of Christmas seems too familiar, too comfortable. However, when we stop and think about it Christmas too is a shockingly unexpected strategy of God. Let us look closer at this metaphor from The Hobbit. We’ll begin with the dragon.
A book that has captured imaginations for over a generation is The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. Tolkien was an active Catholic and that the story has many Christian themes. The Hobbit has recently been made into an incredibly popular series of three films. The second installment just came out. In the first movie, The Unexpected Journey, we see how Gandalf, a good wizard, helps form a group to send an important quest to liberate a land from an oppressive dragon. This group is almost entirely made out of strong dwarves who are proven warriors. There is one noticeable exception. Gandalf insists on including in the quest one hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. This decision is shockingly unexpected and the dwarves are opposed. How could this weak hobbit help defeat the evil dragon? It seems to go against all proper logic for waging war. But Gandalf, for reasons I will explain later, stands by his decision. He sees a power in Bilbo that the others do not. This scene seems to be a great analogy for what is happening at Christmas. Often the story of Christmas seems too familiar, too comfortable. However, when we stop and think about it Christmas too is a shockingly unexpected strategy of God. Let us look closer at this metaphor from The Hobbit. We’ll begin with the dragon.
Jesus
was born into an oppressed world. Christ entered a world that was under siege by
the enemy. When Jesus was born some 2000
years ago in Bethlehem, there was a certain world power that was an obvious “dragon”:
the Roman Empire. That fact that the people of Israel were under Roman
oppression is found in the story of Jesus’ birth. Because in Rome Caesar
demanded a census, Mary and Joseph were forced to travel to Bethlehem to be
counted. The Jewish people were expecting a saviour, or messiah, to come and
rescue them from this tyranny. This saviour was supposed to be a political or
military leader who would forcibly cast off Rome’s yolk and re-establish an
independent nation of Israel. Today also, as Jesus is born anew this Christmas,
He comes into a world with its fair share of dragons that terrorize humanity:
war, crime, oppression, inequality and poverty. Most importantly, whether it be
today or 200 years ago, here in Richmond or in Bethlehem, Jesus also comes to
liberate our hearts from certain dragons that lay siege to our soul: pride,
selfishness, loneliness, greed and envy. Jesus always comes into a world that
is oppressed and in need of liberation.
God’s
way of doing battle is completely different than we expect. Deep down, we all probably
think much like the dwarves from the Hobbit. They believe that the way to beat
the dragon is to get together the strongest, most powerful group of people. You
need to fight fire with fire. But God’s way of thinking is much different. God
could have entered the world as a powerful political or military ruler, but He
did not. If we want to know God’s battle plan we need only look to two places.
First, we can look at the manger. What do we see there? We see a poor baby who
had to be born among animals because there was no room in the inn. We see
incredible humility. We see a boy who will grow up to spend His time serving,
healing and reconciling those who are on the margins of society: tax
collectors, sinners, lepers and prostitutes. The second place we need to look
if we want to know God’s battle plan is the Cross. There we learn that Jesus
chose to destroy evil not through more violence or political machinations but
through self-sacrifice. From the Cross we learn that you do not fight fire with
fire. Evil is only defeated through love. This is revolutionary. God’s way of
doing battle is completely not what we expect.
Because
Jesus’ way of doing things in so unexpected, we can easily miss Him. Remember that
the dwarves wanted nothing to do with Bilbo because he didn’t meet their
expectations of a warrior. They overlooked the power in him that Gandalf could
see. Likewise, since Jesus’ way of
battling evil is so revolutionary, we risk ignoring Him in our life. 2000 years
ago so many people did not recognize Jesus for who He was. Before He was even
born, Jesus was turned away from the inn. The powerful do not come to visit the
new-born Jesus, but only the simple shepherds. Later when Jesus grew up and
began His ministry and teaching He was rejected by so many people. Why? He
simple did not fit the bill of how God should go about conquering evil in the
world. Likewise, in our own life too we risk letting Jesus pass us by, failing
to recognize His power. We can ask ourselves a few questions. Are we trying to
make Jesus the center of our lives because we think He alone can save us, or is
something else taking His place? Is this reflected by the time we put into
cultivating a relationship with Christ through prayer and going to Mass? Or,
are we trying to fill our hearts with what we think might be more satisfying,
such as possessions and entertainment? We could also ask ourselves if our life
shows that we are trying to continue Jesus’ mission, His way of battling the
dragons in this world. Are we striving to live with deeper humility, service,
love, mercy and forgiveness? Or, do we following another strategy, seeking to
become more powerful, wealthy and popular? Regardless of time or place, people have
always risked missing or ignoring Jesus.
Christmas
is a wonderful opportunity to deepen our commitment to Christ and His mission.
Today is an incredible chance to renew our desire to follow Jesus and not let
Him pass us by. Our current Holy Father, Pope Francis, is a powerful example
who can encourage us to do this. Many of you will know that Pope Francis was
recently named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year. This reflects how his words
and gestures have captured attention among Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
But how does a 77 year old man - with only one functioning lung - exert such an
influence? The answer, quite simply, is that he is someone who has not allowed
Jesus and His message to pass him by. Throughout his life, Pope Francis has
welcomed Christ more and more into his heart. He has said that his deepest
identity is that of a sinner in desperate need of Jesus the Saviour. Through
prayer, Mass, the other sacraments and reading the Scriptures he centers his
life around Christ. Flowing from this, Pope Francis has committed himself to
continuing the mission, or battle-plan, of Jesus for fighting the dragons in
this world. Through his words and gestures he has shown the power of mercy,
love, forgiveness, humility and service. He has washed the feet of convicts in
a prison. He traveled to a remote island in the Mediterranean Sea in order to
celebrate Mass for African migrants. He has boldly spoken out against war and
global financial inequality. His example is a great challenge and encouragement
to deepen our commitment to Jesus and His mission this Christmas.
At a
certain moment in the movie The Hobbit,
Gandalf defends his choice of making Bilbo a member of the group sent to
conquer the dragon. He explains that while others believe “it is only great
power that can hold evil in check”, that is not what he has found. Gandalf says
he has found that “it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep
the darkness at bay”. With the help of Jesus, let us be numbered among these “ordinary
folk”. Today let us choose one way to deepen our commitment to Jesus and His
mission. Maybe it is to pray or go to Mass, to serve in a new way your parish
or community or to forgive someone who has wronged you. Let us choose one
concrete action. Perhaps we can make this our Christmas gift for Jesus.
