Growing Into Christmas
When I was pastor at SFX in Kansas City, I loved presiding at the “family” Christmas Mass. That liturgy was centered on the children. For the gospel and homily, the kids would come up and sit in the sanctuary and on the steps in front of the altar while I sat in a rocking chair placed before them. The homily was always short, filled with questions and answers, and focused on how this great gift of God becomes part of our lives today. At Midnight Mass, I often read Maya Angelou’s poem, Touched by an Angel. It speaks of Love leaving its “high holy temple,” freeing us from loneliness and fear, breaking our chains, and setting us free. It also reminds us that this kind of love costs everything.
Today’s readings speak of that kind of Love. In the First Letter of John, Love is the Light that warms and reveals—bringing our fears, our wounds, and our captivities into a place where they can finally be healed. It is the Light that sets us free and gives us the grace, as Angelou puts it, to “dare to be brave.” In Luke’s gospel, Love shows that it will cost everything. It will cost Jesus everything, and if we accept the invitation to be transformed by that Love, it will reshape our lives as well.
These Christmas season readings move us from the Christmas of our childhood to the Christmas of adulthood. They place Bethlehem in honest relationship with the cross. Christmas is intimately connected to the passion, death, and resurrection—the Paschal Mystery. Each sheds light on the other. Each reveals the utter, unconditional love of God: a Love that sets us free, breaks our chains, and costs Jesus everything. And all of it is a gift.
For Prayer and Reflection:
- How is Christ inviting me to grow from the Christmas of childhood wonder into a deeper, more courageous adult faith?
- Where do I sense Love bringing something in my life into the light—not to judge me, but to set me free?
- What might it look like for me to say “yes” to a love that costs something and transforms me in the process?
Rev. Jim Caime, SJ
My email link is now correct.
I have lived and worked in thirteen states, as well as in Europe, Latin America, and East Asia, traveling around the world for work. I tend to approach life with a global perspective—yet always with a keen awareness of the local and the individual.
One of the most powerful meditations for me in the Spiritual Exercises is the meditation on the Incarnation, where the Trinity looks upon the world and sees the need to “be made flesh” in our lives. This deeply shapes my understanding of faith and presence.
Math, science, and hard data help us understand our lives and circumstances, but without the arts—poetry, music, and beauty—we would lack the language to express the inexpressible. I am drawn to Ignatian spirituality because it affirms that God is present in all things, always seeking to communicate with us, personally and profoundly.
I am a dreamer, deeply desiring to see the world as God does—with all its possibilities—while never turning away from its pain. And, thankfully, I also have a wicked sense of humor, which helps me (and hopefully others) navigate the world’s darkness with a bit more light.
At the same time, I hold close the wisdom of the prayer attributed to St. Oscar Romero, which reminds us that “we are merely laborers and not the Master Builder.” We are never the be-all and end-all—that is God’s place. This truth keeps me both humble and hopeful. Also, I am a sinner, always in need of God’s love, mercy and grace.
It is a privilege to contribute to this ministry. God’s Word is alive and active, and I hope my reflections offer you meaningful thoughts for your own prayer.
