Christmas is ended. What a marvellous season. We celebrate the birth of God into our world. Hard to believe such marvellous news, but do we believe? Certainly our actions don't suggest it. Does the fact make any difference to us? We are still busy killing one another in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Ivory Coast, Sudan, and the list goes on and on.
We are still not listening to and feeding the poor and the hungry in Somalia, North Korea and the list goes on. We still support or condone tyrannical regimes whether In China, Zimbabwe, Eritrea, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the list goes on. The confinement and imprisonment of Palestinians, the callous treatment of immigrants in Thailand, Europe, Russia, the denial of rights in Africa and South America and that list goes on and on.
And at a personal level are we any more likely to live this good news? We still condemn and criticize one another. Pick fights, rail against, point fingers, blame, etc., Makes us wonder why He came.
But actually that is why He came.
They have billboards in Texas that proclaim, if you don't improve I'll come down again, but they are misguided in understanding who God really is. Not a tyrant but a lover. Can we love him? He loves us for sure. The cross is the witness to that. Were you there when they crucified my Lord, the old spiritual wails, and yes we all were, or still are if the truth be known. Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me, asks Jesus and those words still reverberate through our world. Every hand raised against another is raised against Him. Every bomb dropped on the enemy is dropped on Him, for don't we know that he is the enemy, crucified before us. Every child assaulted is Him assaulted, every woman beaten is Him beaten. Why do we pretend not to know this? When we refuse to support the homeless, hungry, sick, imprisoned, we are refusing to support Him.
Father forgive us, for we don't know what we do.
'Do not smile and say, you are already with us. Millions do not know you. And to us who do what is the difference; what is the point of your presence if our lives do not alter?
Change our lives. Shatter our complacency. Make your word flesh of our flesh, blood of our blood, and our life's purpose.
Take away the quietness of a clear conscience. Press us uncomfortably, for only thus that other peace is made, Your Peace.'
Dom Helder Camara
Father Eugene Whyte is a member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) from the order's Lacombe Province. He previously served in locales ranging from Nova Scotia to Zimbabwe. He is pastor of St. Lawrence Roman Catholic Church on Cree Road.
