“The Wonder and Awe of Christmas”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
December 24, 2021
Gospel: Luke 1:67-79.
I think of some of the Christmases I have had, and I’ve had some pretty interesting ones, like the one when I would got into a vehicle with no seat belts and a loaded weapon with a round in the chamber. Because I have been sick, this Christmas hasn’t been a fairly pleasant one, but all in all, not bad.
We all think about Christmas and how beautiful it is. The elves have done so much work to make it so. My brother priests send me pictures of their churches. I do not send them a picture of ours, because I don’t want to hurt their tiny little feelings. Sissy boys! When I was a child, Christmas time was so beautiful. We helped serve at the Mass and were seated by the Red Cassocks. It was a step up from the regular action and was the closest I ever got to being Monsignor. Do you ever wish you had the time to reflect on the wonder of Christmas through the eyes of a child? To see again the wonder of God? What happened to that wonder? No matter the age in your reflections, you would have missed so much. That was just the beginning. Part of God’s revelation is that He draws you closer to Him to become part of His sacrifice, to receive His life thru the Sacraments, and to receive more knowledge and deeper love.
Your wedding day is not the same as your 50th anniversary. The 50th anniversary is supposed to be better. Different yes, but deeper. Change is not always bad. Change can be very good. Heraclitus, a 5th Century Greek philosopher said, “you cannot step into the same river twice.” And that’s true. You never do because there have been changes. We are called to change and to grow in love so that the Christmases we are called to now are felt deeper and are even more wonderful. There’s a way to do it but I’m all preached out and running out of energy. [Father Fitz is recovering from COVID-19.] But to have a deeper wonder and awe of a child. Scripture says, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 18:3). We are supposed to be true to that wonder and awe in the simplicity of love, to the resignation of ourselves to the Savior, and to be lost in that great gift of love…to be grateful and to experience it.
Each day we have the opportunity to grow in that love, and one day it will come to its fulfillment in the Kingdom of Heaven. Do not sell yourself short by wanting to go back to your childhood. Don’t. You will miss so much. If there have been intervening problems during the years from then and until now, that can all be fixed and done away with. God can restore the beauty and majesty of life. He has come to give the gift of Himself as promised by the Profits. The gift is His death and resurrection. Once we receive the fullness of it, we will finally enter the Kingdom of Heaven.
How will you apply this message to your life?
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com/, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.” They can also be found on Facebook by searching for “Our Lady of the Annunciation Albemarle”