theophilus December 23rd, 2008
It is the night of December 23rd; and my kids are bouncing off the walls already.
We have deliberately built the tension this Christmas. Day by day on their Advent calendars; candle by candle on our Advent wreath. We even kept Jesus out of the family creche; and our kids have noticed.
They can almost feel the toys; guessing which treasures “Santa” is going to bring. But, they also are well aware that this time of year is about Jesus and his birth. They know that Santa delivers gifts to little boys and girls because of his love for Jesus. They know that their family and friends give each other gifts because they love Jesus and each other.
We have tried hard to reinforce these tenets throughout this season. We have been very blessed by God. My children get to live a life of which I knew nothing of when I was their age.
I worry constantly that my kids are going to get caught up in the trappings of the temporal world. It’s a paradox for me. God has set a plan for me and I’ve worked hard to achieve it. I know I have not reached as far as he has wanted for me, but I have come a long way; and God has greatly blessed me and my family, both spiritually and materially.
But I’ve known want and need. I remember Christmases of long ago when I just wanted a family. The bike that my foster family got me was nice; but I just wanted a place to call home; I wanted a mom & dad.
And, I watch my kids and am so glad that they do not face the loneliness; the spiritual and physical hunger; the pain; the want and need. I am thankful to God every day that he has blessed me in so many ways and has blessed my children. But, I don’t want them to feel spiritually self-sufficient; I don’t want them to feel entitled. I also don’t want them to experience deprivation.
I take comfort in knowing God has his plan for them; the same way he has a plan for me. So, I take special note of scripture such as today’s Gospel taken from the end of Luke 1, when Zechariah and Elizabeth are naming their son, John the Baptist (although, I think he was just called “John” at the time).
The neighbors just assumed that they would name their baby after his father (”Junior” and “Trey” were common nicknames back then). So, they were surprised when Elizabeth emphatically stated that his name would be “John” as instructed by St. Gabriel when he broke the news to Zechariah nine months before.
The neighbors then looked to Zechariah for affirmation; but quickly remembered that he had been mute ever since he got back from the temple about the time his wife had gotten miraculously pregnant. In any case, Zechariah wrote on a tablet that his son’s name would be “John” and, on cue, he began to speak.
The neighbors were astonished and news quickly spread; prompting someone to say and St. Luke to comment, “‘[w]hat, then, will this child be?’ For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.”
And, that’s how I feel about my kids. What, then, will [these] child[ren] be? For surely the hand of the Lord [is] with [them].
This Christmas, let us remember that the Lord is with our kids. He is in their hearts, minds, and souls. It is evident in their joy, smiles, and squeals. They know there is something incredible in all of this hoopla. They can just feel it, sense it, embrace it. And we must do the same; through them and within ourselves.
God wants us to experience the pure joy of his son’s birth each and every year. He infects our kids with that joy so that we can be reminded of it and indulge in it.
I went through challenging times those first Christmases without a family. But God was with me still; I know so because somehow I always had a Christmas. There was always someone to take me in, and there were always some presents under the family tree for me.
The hand of the Lord was with me; is with me; as surely as it is with my kids. The hand of the Lord is with you; as surely as it is with your kids. It is just up to us to make sure that they realize this basic truth; and that we realize it ourselves.
The hand of the Lord is with our kids; the hand of the Lord is with us. We just need to open ourselves to this divine joy that is God’s Christmas gift to us, each and every year.