This Christmas, the Marines in Kandahar, Afghanistan will lay their helmets and M-16s beside them, gather around a simple altar where the priest is wearing a flac jacket, and hear Isaiah procaim, "He is the Prince of Peace."
The Catholic community in Baghdad,Iraq will not gather for Mass this Christmas because it is too dangerous. Terrorists killed four of their priests one month ago. Yet, they will remember that He is Emmanuel, "God is with us."
The people in Port-au-Prince, Haiti will gather in front of their cathedral, runied and destroyed by the earthquake, gather as they have every Sunday since the earthquake. They will dance and sing. They will hear the Scriptures proclaimed, "Do not be afraid. Rejoice. We have news that gives you great joy!"
Christmas morning, Cardinal Francis George will celebrate the Mass for the prisoners at Cook County jail. He will raise the host and say, "This is the Body of Christ." He will look out at this group and say, "And you, too, are the Body of Christ."
I am not sure the world is any worse than the one Isaiah confronted 2,600 years ago or the world into which Jesus was born 2,000 years ago. Our world is certainly not better. Yet, into those worlds and ours, the angel comes and says, "Do not be afraid." Why? Because God is Emmanuel, the one who is "always with us." The great sign of that truth is Jesus Christ. Jesus was born into His time to re assure people that God's Promise is true. He is born into our time, into every heart that welcomes Him, that seeks to follow His way by being a sign of healing, reconciliation, concern for the poor/hungry/abused/homeless, unconditional love, and peace.
Ultimately, the real celebration of Christmas is NOT that God became one of us 2,000 years ago. Christmas is all about Jesus being born into our own hearts, changing our lives, helping us live for others as Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose for everyone of us. Merry Christmas.