As I sit at
my computer tonight after a long Christmas Day filled with family gift-giving
and fun, I’m regretting the practice of discarding all things Christmas so soon
after December 25, as if the journey is complete. Maybe it’s because we begin celebrating the
holy day six weeks or more before the feast that, by the time Christmas Day
comes and goes, we’re done. Trees are discarded
to the curb, wreaths and stockings are packed away, wrapping paper and creche are
stored until next year.
But for me, as
I grow older, I cherish the days that take us from the Nativity to the
Epiphany, perhaps more so in this unbelievably difficult year. These are the days that carry the most
Christmas meaning precisely because the hype is over and life calms down. It’s this image of “the journey” that
resonates within me. It’s a journey that
can only begin with the birth of Jesus.
Certainly,
Mary and Joseph making their way to Bethlehem and the journey of the wise men
come to mind, but so too the journey the Holy Family took to Egypt to seek
safety. Less known—but certain
nonetheless—is the journey back to the fields of the shepherds where they shared
their experience at the manger in Bethlehem. I recall an old move (perhaps 30 years ago?)
movie starring Martin Sheen, The Fourth Wise Man, the story of another wise man
whose own journey to Bethlehem was waylaid only to find Jesus, finally, in
Jerusalem on the Cross.
“It’s the
journey, not the destination” is a familiar saying that urges us not miss what
is happening now, not to be blind to the graces in the moment. Christmas didn’t end yesterday; it only just
began. It’s okay to put away the
Christmas decorations, but maybe we can see that as preparing ourselves for our
own Christmas journey in the days and year ahead. What experiences of the birth of Jesus will I
share with those I encounter along the way, on my Christmas journey that begins
today?
No comments:
Post a Comment