Christmas Day

Our readings for the Mass of Christmas Day are:

1. Isaiah 52: 7-10
2. Psalms 98: 1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6
3. Hebrews 1: 1-6
4. John 1: 1-18

• You can't go home again
• If you are lucky, "home" is a place of belonging, where you "fit in", feel affirmed and appreciated, a rooting from which you draw sustenance even after you are long gone from the geography, the time, even the people of what constituted home.  The tricky part is, that our relationship with home has to evolve and grow in order for it to continue to sustain us.
• Where/what/when/who do you call home?
• Where is God in your roots?  Do you regularly pray for those that make home?  Do you ever pray your way through any of your old experiences, good and bad, and bring Jesus to those memories in new ways?
• How does your sense of belonging make you a better person today?
• How can you help others find their way home?

• Showing the face of God
• Our God is not confined to one stretch of ground, one race, one culture.  It is precisely that He transcends any boundaries that we can make up that is a mark of His greatness.  Truly, all of the ends of the earth have seen His saving power.  Or have they?
• Maybe you see God manifesting Himself on a regular basis.  Ministries that you participate in, or benefit from remind you time and again that God has a deep and personal love for you, so you feel sure that everyone around you feels the same.
• How are you warm, welcoming, hospitable to others in your family?
• How about your parish?
• If we in the US really were serious about showing God to the world around us, what would that look like?
• How might it change the world if we did some of those things?
• Where can we start?

• Is there a prophet in the house?
• Jesus should not have been a surprise to anyone.  God had been promising the advent of a savior for centuries through His prophets.  Now that Jesus has come is there anything left to be prophetic about?
• What are some of the qualities of a contemporary prophet?  Is it boldness, courage, profundity, ordination, official recognition?
• Who are some prophets of our day?  Martin Luther King, Pope John Paul II, Billy Graham, Mahatma Gandhi, Sister Theresa, ...?
• How do you think they became prophets?
• How do you think that they heard that call in their lives?
• If you heard that call, would you recognize it?

• Incarnation incognito
• "Hey honey I'm home!" was a stock greeting from the man of the house when he joyfully stepped through the front door of his home after a long day at work.  When Jesus tabernacled with us, it should have felt like a home-coming for Him.  Instead, Jesus was born on the edges, scarcely noticed, hardly acknowledged.
• If Jesus were here today, where do you think that He would find most at home?  Maybe a soup kitchen, a hospital ER room, your local day-care center, your home?
• Where would Jesus be welcome?
• What can you do today, to make Jesus feel more welcome?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. Where is God inviting you to be more inviting?
2. Where is God welcoming you to be more welcoming?
3. How are you speaking up for God?
4. Where is God finding a home in your home?

Shalom!