Newspaper Page Text
m
' ' t '
■
of Atlanta
A HOLY
HAPPY
CHRISTMAS
SERVING GEORGIA’S 71 NORTHERN COUNTIES
VOL. 2, NO. 51
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
\
fPfrTV:-'
4
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1964
$5.00 PER YEAR
//
>7
N \V '
" - •
.i
•?
chmshmi
l
I Hi
•
L The Church speaks: “Behold, the fullness of
time has cornel Now God sends forth His Son into
the world, born of a virgin, subject to the Law,
to redeem those under the Law.'*
(Letter to Hebrews 1,2)
Did the “fullness of time," O Lord God, reach only
to that night in Bethlehem? Or does it stretch through
the centuries to our Christmas, 1964? How often can
“now" be repeated? You sent Your Son into our world.
As Alexander sent troops into the East, as Pope
Gregory sent Augustine to England, as Wilson sent
Pershing to Europe? Or, is there a clue, Lord, in
St. John Chrysostom: “What was done in one man might
not be done in all". Does the new Liturgy Constitution
clarify why Christmas keeps returning: “so that the
riches of the Lord's power and merits are in some
way made present for all time". W’hat is that way,
Lord?
II. The Father speaks; “My Kingdom is established
forever...I have raised up a chosen one from my
people". (Psalm 88) Was it Abraham, Moses,
David? Was it Buddha or Mahomet? Was it brother
hood, democracy, decency? Why, O God, are we
kneeling on Christmas night at the crib of a
Jewish child?
Ill. The Shepherds Speak: “Whom have you seen, O
Shepherds? Speak, tell us, who has appeared on
earth?" “A Child we saw, and choirs of angels
praising the Lord!"
(Lauds of Christmas)
The Shepherd’s eyes were opened. Lord, open our
eyes too. You have brought us by our baptism out of
the shadows of yesterday. You have invited us to share
in the eternal sunlight of past, present and future. Now
DIALOGUE IN DECEMBER
AN ENCOUNTER AT CHRISTMAS
we have stepped out of the museum of plaster infants
and plastic angels. Lord, You have given us a new
breath of life, — of real life where the single act of
Bethlehem is but the beginning of, and preparation for,
a greater, permanent dwelling of ‘God with us'through
the risen humanity of Your Son.”
IV. The Son speaks: “The Lord said to me; 'You
are My Son; this day I have begotten you!"
(Introit of 1st Christmas Mass)
In these words of your Son, O God, we find our own
identity. You are our Father as well as His. Were
it not for Christmas, we could not dare to call you,
“Our Father!’’ But he invited us to do sol He told
us what you do for mankind; our little gifts during
this season seem insignificant when we recall that
the Son told us; “If you ask the Father anything in
my name, he will give it to you". Because he calls
us his Brothers, we can through him call you Father.
V. The Apostle speaks; “The goodness and
kindness of God our Savior appeared: not by rea
son of good works that we did ourselves, but
according to his mercy, he saved us.”
(Titus, 3, 4-5)
Lord, now we are at the heart of this dialogue, and
we find that dialogue is not enough. If you do not
redeem us, we stay unredeemed, —unransomedfrom
the slavery of sin, unlettered in our ignorance of your
was. It is not enough to hope for salvation; we must
hope in our Savior.
VI* The Son speaks again: “Not all who say 'Lord,
Lord!’ shall enter into the Kingdom”.
Dialogue, Lord, is after all only talk. But salvation
is impossible without an encounter, since ‘all real
living is meeting!’ Infant and mother, — whether in
Atlanta or Bethlehem, — do not engage in dialogue,
Theirs is a real encounter, — a meeting and an ex- A'
change and a result. It is not enough, Lord, for us
to talk of the “I - Thou" relationship we have with
you. Thanks to Bethlehem, it is a true encounter: — on
your part, a disclosure of yourself through revelation;
on our part, a response through our service religion.
This encounter, 0 God, creates our history.
VIL T he Church speaks again: "This day Christ is
born, this day the Savior has appeared."
(Antiphon at Vespers)
On Christmas night, Lord, the gospel was first heard.
Our history was re-created. The face of the earth was 1
renewed. Bethlehem became God’s home, not a sleepy
Judean town. The lake of Galilee was destined as a
setting for your divinity; Calvary grew taller, by the
distance of a cross and its culprit. Thus, Lord, was
history made.
VIII. Another Apostle speaks; “And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us”.
(John 1, 13)
Your birth. Lord Jesus, was an event of history. But
Your coming was something more permanent. It is j
not just remembered by the Church; it is not merely
repeated in a feast. It is the Church’s essence, j
Christmas has never ended. Our dialogue comes alive.
Our encounter is real. You have called our times to
a fresh renewal in our hearts. With the Church we pray
on Christmas —
“That as the Savior of the world, born on this
day, is the cause of our divine birth,
So may he also give us to live forever”.
(Post communion, of 3rd Mass)
(L
>.
/