Tomorrow is Christmas Eve.
Everyone has already begun making preparations for Christmas. Folks have been out shopping for presents. You probably bought a tree weeks ago. A mother is out there anxiously planning the perfect Christmas dinner—when she needs to put the ham in the oven, how it will pair with the cranberry sauce, how to keep the rolls soft and fluffy, etc. You know the routine.
One part of many Americans’ “Christmas routine” is Christmas Mass.
At the many Holy Masses that are offered tomorrow and on Christmas Day, there will be many more people showing up to church than are usually present. A friend once affectionately referred to himself as an “ECO Catholic” … Easter, Christmas Only Catholic. For the most part, these folks will come, sit in the church for one hour, and go home, not to return until Easter.
This makes me hope and question. On the one hand, it is awesome to see a church packed with souls to worship Jesus on the feast of His birth in Bethlehem. On the other hand, I’m left asking myself, why don’t we see the church like this every Sunday? Faced with this sign of contradiction at Christmas Mass, regular Massgoers may be tempted to wonder about the state of others’ souls, or to judge their uncoordinated sitting and standing, and the occasional outdated response to the priest (“And also with you”).
This Christmas, however, permit their visible awkwardness to be a sign from God for you: They too are My sheep—for whom I was born, for whom I died. Yet they do not know how much I love them..
If this should happen to you at Christmas Mass, take it as an invitation to do two things:
- Pray for them! The mercy and power of God can move mountains. Why not also someone who is standing in the very presence of Jesus Christ in the tabernacle? After all, the conversion of hearts is not primarily a human work, but a grace from God.
- After Holy Mass, perhaps as you and your family are leaving, greet one of these visiting Catholics—especially if you know one of them from somewhere else! Extend your hand, look this newcomer in the eye, smile, and say, “Merry Christmas.” Try to let him see that the world really is a bit more merry because the baby Jesus was born on Christmas day.
If you should feel daring, you’ll also say “It’s great to meet/see you. I don’t know if I’ve seen you around at St. X’s.” Let him know he’s welcome back.
In this little way, you will lend your voice and smile to Christ. Consider this: The greatest Christmas gift you might give this year could be a tiny seed of the Gospel to a wandering soul and a flicker of hope for a family in need of grace.
✠
Photo by Kenny Elisason on Unsplash
