Christmas turned things upside down

Christmas Mass During the Night | Luke 2:1-14

When Jesus entered the world, he turned it upside down. Things on the top were brought to the bottom and things on the bottom were brought to the top.

The Gospel that we heard from Luke (Lk 2:1-16) shows how Jesus has turned the idea of kingship upside down. With the birth of Jesus, the ruler of the world is dethroned. The message of this Gospel is in fact very politically subversive. At the start of the Gospel, we hear about the census initiated by Caesar Augustus. This was the reason why Joseph and Mary made there way from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. The reference to the census is a brutal reminder of the sovereignty that the Caesar and the Roman empire exercised over the Jewish people. The census was a way to enforce taxation, military service and allegiance to Rome. At the time of Jesus, the Caesar was so much more than a ruler. Coins and inscriptions refer to Caesar as Lord, Saviour and Son of God. The Caesar was seen as the guarantor of peace throughout the empire. The birth of a Caesar was heralded throughout the empire and called “Good News”, or, more literally, “Gospel”. In Luke, it is clear that who Jesus is is in direct conflict with Caesar. Notice the message of the angels to the shepherd. The birth of Jesus is called Good News. Jesus is called the Saviour and Lord. The birth of Jesus brings about peace on earth. This newborn baby dethroned Caesar, yet Jesus is nothing like the Roman ruler. Whereas Caesar demanded taxation from the people, Jesus is poor and humble and born in a manger. Whereas Caesar maintained “peace” through military might and the shedding of soldiers’ blood, Jesus created peace through the sacrifice of his own life. The swaddling clothes in which the baby Jesus is wrapped anticipates the linen in which the dead body of Jesus will be wrapped when he is placed in the tomb (Lk 23:53). Jesus dethrones Caesar yet is an entirely different kind of ruler. Jesus turns the idea of kingship upside down.

The birth of Jesus also turns social structures upside down and forces us to rethink who we imagine the “important” people in our world are. Recently a number of series and movies that describe the life of royalty have become popular (e.g. The Crown). Some of these shows depict the birth of a royal and its aftereffects. These births are a huge deal for the entire nation. After the birth of a royal person, this birth was announced to the important people in society: the aristocracy, the nobles, the law makers. The same practice would have held at Jesus’ time. When Jesus is born, however, something entirely different happens. The birth of Jesus is not announced to those on the highest levels of society, but to those on the bottom of the social spectrum, to the shepherds. The birth of Jesus redefines who important people are. Those with power are not the important people but rather the poor and the marginalized. These are the people to whom we should assign the greatest value. In various ways, Pope Francis has been putting this into practice. For example, he has a wonderful custom each year that usually happens on the day after Christmas. On December 26th, the Pope will usually invite a great number of the poor who live in Rome to the Vatican where they eat a meal together and celebrate the birth of Jesus. Some of the first people that the Pope celebrates Christmas with are not the rich and prestigious but he poor and marginalized. The birth of Jesus has turned social structures upside down.

Christmas invites us to imagine a world that is upside down and to live in this world. When I was a kid, I went to an exhibition at a museum in which you could walk into a room where everything was turned upside down. The tables and chairs were suspended from the ceiling. You walked on the floor. I remember being really interested by that room. There was something magical and joyful about imagining the room in a different way. The celebration of Christmas invites us to look at the world in a new way. The “normal way” that the world operates can at times get us down. Rulers are corrupt. Those with wealth exercise great power and seem uninterested in peace. The concerns of the poor and marginalized seem secondary. There can seem like no changing the status quo. Christmas reminds us that Jesus came to bring about a different world, one in which things are upside down. Jesus is the king of this world who gives us everything, including his very life. According to Jesus, it is the poor and needy who should come first. Christmas invites us to view this upside down world. More than this, it invites us to enter this world by living humble lives in which we try to help the needy and bring peace, joy and kindness to those we come in contact with.

Giotto di Bondone [Public domain]

According to tradition, the nativity scenes which we find in all our Churches was first invented by St. Francis of Assisi. This saint lived a life of simplicity and of service to the poor. He seems to have loved Christmas and is known for the great joy with which he lived. In a famous biography of St. Francis (by G. K. Chesterton), the author describes that Francis’ joy came from the fact that “he saw the world upside down, hanging from a thread of God’s mercy”. This Christmas, let us ask ourselves a simple question. What would change in our lives if we chose to see the world upside down?

Extending welcome at Christmas

On Boxing Day in the United Kingdom, there was a tradition where, for this one day, superiors would change places with their inferiors. Bosses would serve their underlings. This is, in fact, an ancient custom. A similar practice occurred in Ancient Rome on the feast of Saturnalia, which was celebrated on December 17th. It seems that early Christians borrowed this custom from the pagan feast since they thought that it well expressed what Jesus came to do. In the Gospel of Luke in particular, Jesus’ mission is portrayed as bringing about an inversion. Those who are seen as superior in society are brought down low and those who are seen as inferior are raised up. As Mary expresses in her Magnificat, “the Lord has brought down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly”. Christianity is supposed to turn the world upside down.

Raphael [Public domain]

The Gospel today, which tells the story of Mary’s visitation to her cousin Elizabeth, is a clear example of how Jesus brings about an inversion of social, religious and political structures. We hear that Mary, after having heard from Gabriel that she would bear a child, went in haste to the hill country of Judea. According to the customs of the time, Elizabeth was clearly the superior and Mary the inferior. Not only was Elizabeth above Mary in age, but Elizabeth was from a rather important religious cast in society. She was a daughter of Aaron. She was married to a priest. Mary, on the other hand, is comparatively a nobody. In the Gospel of Luke, we hear very little about her background. Her place of inferiority is reinforced by the fact that it is she who goes to visit Elizabeth. The inferior visits the superior. By the end of the Gospel, however, a great inversion has occurred. Elizabeth, who is supposed to by above Mary, declares that it is Mary who is truly blessed. Elizabeth has raised Mary up on a pedestal. What has happened to bring about this inversion? Jesus has entered the picture. John the Baptist, who Elizabeth carries in her womb, alerts his mother to the presence of Jesus by leaping in utero. John’s entire mission is to point out to people that Jesus is the Messiah. He starts this mission before he is even born. Elizabeth is made aware by her son that the child Mary carries is greater than her own. Although Elizabeth has received a great gift from God to bear a child in her old age, she realizes that Mary had received an even greater gift. She is the mother of the Lord. Because of Jesus, Mary, who should have been inferior to Elizabeth, has been raised higher.

This Christmas we will have a very practical opportunity to participate in Jesus’ mission of inversion, of raising up the lowly. Can you remember the last time that you were in a group of people and you felt somewhat out of place? I know that when I am with a group of people I do not know, I usually feel nervous and uncomfortable. It is scary to go and speak to new people. I am often unsure of how I should behave. What is the most helpful thing when you find yourself in a situation where you feel out of place? For me, it is when someone from that group comes and speaks to me and makes me feel welcome. Every Christmas, many people come to Mass who do not regularly attend. Now, I know, this can be somewhat inconvenient for us “regulars”. Parking might be a little more difficult to come by. Someone might sit in our regular pew. At the same time, we have a great opportunity to welcome people who might be feeling somewhat out of place coming here at Christmas. A kind smile or simply saying hello to someone who looks a bit new is a wonderful way to make someone feel comfortable. Perhaps if those who come less regularly to Mass feel at home, then they might choose to come more regularly. When we who are perhaps more regular Mass-goers make those who do not come as often like honoured guests and truly welcome, then we are helping to carry out Jesus mission of inversion, of raising up the lowly.

Christmas Mass is just around this corner. What better way can we celebrate the birth of Jesus than by helping to carry out his mission of “raising up the lowly”? One simple and concrete way we can do this is by being welcoming to those who may be new to our Church or may come less frequently.

 

How to welcome Jesus at Christmas

3rd Sunday Advent | Luke 3:10-18

We’ve all probably seen a live action nativity play. Maybe we’ve been part of such a play. It seems that one of the least popular roles in a nativity play is that of the innkeeper. Afterall, who would want to have to close the door to Joseph, Mary and her unborn child Jesus? We all want to welcome Jesus. That is what we are trying to do during this season of Advent. We want to better prepare to welcome Jesus. What, however, is the best way of doing this? In the Gospel today (Luke 3:10-18), John the Baptist gives us some important pointers.

Jan Matsys [Public domain]

Above all, John teaches us that talk is cheap. Just saying that we want to welcome Jesus is not sufficient. Words are not enough. Here I am cheating a little bit because John makes this point in the verses immediately preceding the portion of Luke that we heard in the Gospel. There, John chastises those coming to receive his baptism of repentance, which is meant to prepare for the coming of Jesus, without making an attempt to change their lives. These people suggest that it is enough to merely say that “Abraham is our Father”. John explains that just saying these words is not enough to prepare to receive Jesus. “God can raise up sons of Abraham from these stones”, John explains. Just saying the right words are not enough to to prepare for Christmas. Every year around this time there is a recurring debate. Should people say “merry Christmas” or something more religiously neutral like “happy holidays”? Last year at a news conference, President Trump exclaimed that since he became president, “we’re saying merry Christmas again”. As John teaches us in Luke’s Gospel, talk is cheap. Though we say “merry Christmas”, our actions may shut Jesus out of our lives. Merely saying the right words does not mean that we are ready to welcome Jesus.

John the Baptist makes it clear that we prepare ourselves to welcome Jesus by producing “fruits of repentance”, that is, good deeds. After being rebuked by John for thinking that it is enough to simply say that they are the sons of Abraham, the people ask John what they must do in order prepare for the coming Messiah. In response, John gives a list of the “fruit of repentance” that they should produce in their lives. They must share with those in need. Whoever has two cloaks must give one to the one who has none. They should carry out their professions honestly and not cheat or treat anyone unfairly. Tax collectors should only take the stipulated amount. Soldiers should not practice extortion. By changing their actions and performing good works, the people will then be ready for the coming Messiah. We can hear John’s words ringing out in our word today. Do you want to welcome Jesus at Christmas? Share your possessions with those in need, those who cannot give you anything back in return. Saying “merry Christmas” is fine, but unless you give to the poor and help those in need, then these words may not ring true. If you don’t have money or possessions to share, then give of your time. Visit or call an elderly friend or relative who may be lonely at this time. By producing these “fruits of repentance”, we can prepare to welcome Jesus at Christmas.

By sharing what we have, whether it be time or possessions, with those in need, we can ensure that we experience joy at Christmas. Joy is something we all probably want to experience as we get ready for Christmas. Today’s liturgy is an important reminder of this. This Sunday, the 3rd Sunday of Advent, is traditionally called “Gaudete” Sunday, which means “Rejoice!” The first and second readings are both an invocation to rejoice. In the first reading we heard, ”Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel!” In the second reading, Paul instructs us to “rejoice in the Lord always”. We have all probably experienced the joy that comes with sharing what we have with those in need. A while back, I read a news article that struck this point home. This article told the story about a four year old boy who used his allowance money to buy food for the poor in Birmingham, Alabama. The boy distributed this food to those in need by hand. To add to the excellence of his actions, he gave the food out while wearing a superhero cape! You just need to look at a few pictures of this young boy in action to see how utterly joyful he is while performing these acts of kindness and service. Likewise, when we share what we have with others, we are filled with joy.

This Christmas, do you want to avoid playing in real life the part of the innkeeper who fails to welcome Jesus? Do you want to experience joy as Christmas approaches? Then, in addition to saying “merry Christmas”, let us produce works of repentance by sharing our possessions and time with those who are in need.