That
fellow is as contrary as the will of God!" said Tony, describing
one of his neighbors. Not only was this a perfect description of the
person in question but it was also a powerful theological statement.
There are few things as contrary or as unpredictable as the way in
which God's will and presence is shown in the world. I heard recently
of a woman who lost everything - home and family - when Mount Pinatubo
erupted. She felt hopeless and lost till she found an orphaned child
which she adopted and began to care for. They created life and love
and therefore God's presence for one another.
I
also came across the story of an American soldier who was imprisoned
for six years in Vietnam. He was frequently taken from his cell and
tortured. What kept him alive, he said, was a mother rat with only
three legs who cared for her three offspring in the corner of his
cell. He would normally have been horrified at the idea of living
with a filthy rat, but observing her diligence in looking after her
little ones gave him an interest in life, and gave him life itself.
When he was thrown back into his cell almost dead after being tortured,
their presence gave him the courage to live on. Eventually she reared
her family. When they left he felt a great loneliness. Then the soldier
made a remarkable statement, "You know," he said, "God
so loved me that when that rat became pregnant again she came back
to my cell to deliver and rear her new family there!"
Today,
we celebrate the feast of Christmas. It is a feast that shows God
at his most contrary! The people of Israel had been expecting a redeemer
in the line of Moses and of David. Moses had opposed the might of
the Pharaoh and had led his people across the Red Sea to the freedom
of the Promised land. David as a boy had slain the giant Goliath and
had later killed thousands in battle. It was very clear that the only
concept of a Messiah that the people had was one who would yield military
and political might. The only concept of liberation they had was the
expulsion of the foreign Roman conqueror of the homeland. But Jesus
came and to the disappointment of all, most especially of his disciples,
instead of being lifted up on a throne as a king he was lifted up
on a cross as a criminal. The contrary God shattered their expectations.
He again took them by surprise when he rose from the dead. But to
get across to those numbskulls that his kingdom was not of this world
he had to leave again. At the opening of the Acts of the Apostles
we see their difficulty in giving up their idea of what the messiah
should do become even clearer. The disciples asked Jesus just before
he ascended into Heaven, "Lord, are you not going to restore
the rule to Israel now?" They were confused by the contrary God
who did not do things in the way that they expected.
Luke
and Matthew tell in their own unique ways that people should not have
been surprised that Jesus was a different kind of King. Not only was
Jesus contrary to their expectations in the way that he died but he
was also different and contrary in the way that he was born. In today's
terms we would expect a God-sent Savior to be born of a powerful family
in a modern hospital or maternity clinic. But Jesus is born of Mary,
an unknown peasant girl - and to be more contrary still - through
the overshadowing of the Holy spirit and not of a human father - in
a sheltering place for animals. The tale of the unexpected continues
when Saint Luke tells us that the first visitors at the manger were
shepherds. In the literature of those days shepherds are listed as
the lowest of the low in society. Yet, they are the first to worship
the newborn king.
Saint
Matthew tells some other surprising stories. He gives us an ancestry
for Jesus that has more sinners than saints in it. In this way he
tells us that Jesus is truly human. The visit of the angel telling
Joseph that Mary was pregnant through the work of the Holy Spirit
tells us that Jesus was equally God. And then, upsetting expectations
again, the Magi come from the east convinced that a great savior has
been born.
Herod,
the mighty ruler, in spite of having the scriptures and all the religious
luminaries of the city to consult, had failed to discern the Messiah's
coming. Instead of rejoicing at the news, they are scared and threatened
and resorted to lies in an effort to track down and eliminate the
newborn king. When they fail to learn the whereabouts of the infant
from the Magi they slaughter all male children two years old and under.
Meanwhile the Magi, who are simply seeking the truth, and not human
power, possessions and prestige, follow the star that leads them to
the manger. There they find and recognize the Christ child and give
him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. How contrary!
Saint
John, in the beginning of his Gospel - which is read at the masses
during Christmas day, goes back beyond the infancy and childhood of
Jesus, to creation itself.
"In
the beginning was the Word;
the word was in God's presence,
and the word was God."
John
traces the origins of Jesus back to His Being with God. God speaks
and the Word becomes flesh. The Son pitches his tent amongst us, he
becomes flesh, takes human form. The emphasis, in John's account,
is not so much on the contrariness of God as on his dependability.
God had promised and now God keeps his word, or rather speaks his
Word and that speaking makes Him present amongst us. One of the greatest
compliments that we can give to another human being is to say that
they are people of their word. Today, we celebrate that God, "Filled
with enduring love," has kept his word.
When
I recall my childhood memories of Christmas they mostly endure as
love filled events. The words that come to my mind are late nights,
early mornings, gifts, visits and - how contrary - suicide. In my
home area there was a suicide nearly every Christmas. At first it
seems contrary but there is a logic to it. We associate Christmas
with family, joy, celebration, and unity. But it is not so for every
one. When everyone around seems to be enjoying themselves, drinking
and celebrating, the person who feels lonely and rejected becomes
more aware of their isolation and alienation at the time of Christmas.
If such a person is living by themselves - as happens often in western
countries but seldom in the Philippines - this feeling can drive them
to self destruction.
Happily
we do not hear of such happenings so often in this country but let
us not be fooled that there are not desperately lonely people around
us at the time of Christmas. When Tessie was a baby she was reared
by her grandparents. When she was a teenager she went back to her
parents' house but she never felt that she fitted in with her natural
brothers and sisters. Later in life she had a great sense of not being
wanted, of being rejected. Deep down she could not forgive her parents
for "giving her away" = "not loving her" as a
child. Because of this feeling of inferiority she never got married.
Now, she lives with relatives. She told me that she finds Christmas
the worst time of the year. She feels pressured to buy gifts but has
not enough money. The sound of joyful music echoes like funeral music
in the depths of her heart.
This
Christmas we celebrate once more the birth of our contrary God. We
can celebrate his arrival in our churches and with our parties.
We
can be with his presence, where he is being eternally born, in the
stillness of our own hearts when we just BE there in prayer. Perhaps
we can find our contrary God, and give birth to him most authentically
of all this Christmas, if we observe a lonely person and can in some
way, without lowering their dignity and self esteem, communicate a
caring human presence to them.
