Dear Parishioners and Friends,
Looking back over the past several years’ worth of Pastor’s Corner letters on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, I see a pattern emerging: popular Christmas songs and what they say to us.
A few years ago I wrote about “I’ll be home for Christmas.” Another year I reflected on “Somewhere in my memory” from the movie “Home Alone.” This year it is “My grown up Christmas list” by David Foster and Linda Thompson. It has been recorded by many artists, but my personal favorites are by Michael Bublé and Barbra Streisand. Here are some lines from the song:
Do you remember me?
I sat upon your knee.
I wrote to you with childhood fantasies.
Well I’m all grown up now,
And still need help somehow.
I’m not a child but my heart still can dream.
So here’s my lifelong wish,
My grown up Christmas list;
Not for myself but for a world in need.
No more lives torn apart;
That wars would never start,
And time would heal all hearts;
And everyone would have a friend;
And right would always win;
And love would never end, no
This is my grown up Christmas list.
I loved this song the first time I heard it. It has a wistful, plaintive quality to which many of us of a certain age can relate. Essentially, we no longer hope for expensive or elaborate Christmas gifts, but those things that really matter: reconciliation, peace, healing, friendship, justice, love – all the elements of a truly Christian way of life.
I realize that the Christmas holiday season can be a heavy emotional burden for many people. Even those who aren’t weighed down by recent bereavement, ongoing health struggles, or relationship issues, can feel a bit off-kilter during this time of year. Part of it, I think, is that nagging sense of incompleteness that always leaves us wanting something more. And the world of advertising only exacerbates that feeling. “Now is the time to shop for a new fully-loaded SUV!”
The season of Advent is meant to help us put that sense of incompleteness into a larger perspective. Hope and longing were embedded in the DNA of our Old Testament ancestors. But even the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem didn’t automatically fulfill human hope and longing. Jealousy, anger, retribution and all the other terrible things humans do to one another have continued century upon century.
So, what do we continue to hope for? Is this really “the most wonderful time of the year” as Andy Williams used to sing? It can be, if we try not to put too much pressure on ourselves or on our expectations. Engage in what is most meaningful for you, especially if it involves those whom you love.
“In dir ist Freude” is an old German hymn which is translated “In you is joy.” J. S. Bach composed a festive organ chorale-prelude on this tune which captures the joy of a Christian’s faith in Jesus. An English translation of the first verse of the hymn goes like this:
In Thee is gladness
Amid all sadness,
Jesus, sunshine of my heart.
By Thee are given
The gifts of heaven,
Thou the true Redeemer art.
As people who believe that Jesus is the source of all our joy, especially in times of distress or sadness, we should find our strength in him who first came to us a helpless baby, whose crib was a feed trough for animals. We come to him, then, in all that we are, weak and wanting. Although we may not always feel “happy” at this time of year, let us seek those little pockets of joy that remind us of God’s love for us, a love that we might take for granted, but which is never far from us. I hope you have a blessed Christmas!
Fr. Tim Shreenan, O.F.M.Pastor
