“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. It was a season of light. It was a season of darkness.” Those eloquent lines, which Charles Dickens wrote to begin his classic, A Tale of Two Cities, could well describe how some of us feel right now. While the coming week will be joy-filled for many, for others the days ahead will be difficult ones to endure. The loss of a loved one through death or divorce could leave a person despairing too much to be touched by the joy that Christmas has to offer. Others who have grown distant from God through indifference or anger may also remain unmoved by the message that awaits us.
And what might that message be? Quite simply, I would say it is hope. Certainly, there is a spirit of hope in the air. We hope to get the last minute shopping done. We hope to get all the cards mailed in time. We hope that the dinner won’t be burnt on Christmas day. We hope that all our guests will arrive safely and on time. We hope that a spirit of peace will prevail.
Hope also captures the spirit of these readings. They are filled with the good news that even in the darkest moments, God does not forget his people. First we hear the words of the prophet, Micah, written 2800 years ago, “You, Bethlehem-Ephrata, too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times.” Micah wrote during a time when Israel, occupied by foreign armies, yearned for a savior. He promises a new beginning with the coming of a great king who will shepherd Israel to peace. Better yet, “he shall be peace.”
In the gospel, Luke provides us with a tale of two women, whose faith offers us a message of hope. For those who listen to their message, Christmas can be the best of times, a season of light that dispels the darkness of our world. Elizabeth proclaims the fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy, “Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Israel, barren for so long with no one to lead her, is now awaiting her messiah in the person of Mary’s son, Jesus.
Even the letter to the Hebrews provides us with a message of hope. Jesus tells us, “As is written of me in the scroll, behold, I come to do your will, O God.” He has come to establish a new covenant, sanctifying us by offering himself on the cross for us. At last, the hope of ancient Israel will be fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.
However chaotic our lives may be at times, however dark the season may seem, hope is there to keep us going. Our God hears us even in our bleakest moments.
On Christmas day, 1863, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of America’s best known poets, received word that his son had been seriously wounded in battle. Despondent, he penned these words, “In despair, I bowed my head; ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said. For hate is strong and mocks the song of ‘peace on earth, good will to men.’” As he wrote these words, bells sounded from a church nearby. For Longfellow, the bells rang a message of hope, the presence of something much stronger than the malaise that was gripping his soul. Adding to what he had already scribbled, he wrote, “Then pealed the bells more loud and deep, ‘God is not dead, nor does He sleep. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, good will to men.”
Like the words of Micah and Luke, Longfellow’s lines are recalled by many each year at this time. His poem became the well-known carol, “I heard the bells on Christmas Day.”
I pray that our nation will never again experience a bloody war like the one that claimed the life of my great grandfather in 1864. Although we are not enmeshed in a civil war, we are at war, a sad reminder that peace remains elusive from war-torn Iraq to the West Bank and beyond. With so much conflict in every corner of the world, our need for hope and peace still lingers.
If peace is what we are yearning for, what must we do? The German poet, Goethe, observed, “He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home.” We can begin our quest for peace by taking a look at ourselves and deciding what really matters. If we really want peace, then we must rid ourselves of what stands in the way. One Jewish source noted, “Five great enemies to peace inhabit with us, namely avarice, ambition, envy, anger and pride. If these enemies were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace.” In so many words, Jesus has given us that same advice repeatedly.
The starting point for finding happiness and peace ultimately begins with us. Fr. John Powell comments, “I can’t change the world to suit me, but I can change my response to the world. I can change me. Happiness is an inside job.”
For countless generations, God has kept his promise to lead his people through good times and bad, in sickness and health. And God continues to do so today. Blessed are they, who, like Mary, trust that the Lord’s words would be fulfilled. For them, peace and justice become possible. For those who listen to the message of Mary, Elizabeth, and Micah, Christmas ought not to be the worst of times. It is meant to be the best of times, best in that it brings us a season of light that has the potential to forever dispel the darkness of our world.
Earlier this week, I inadvertently upset a friend by what I said. He responded by saying that he felt disrespected. Our brief spat brought to mind another line from Micah. Peace will be ours when we strive to walk humbly, act justly, and love tenderly in the sight of God and one another. For those who heed his advice, they could very well experience the best of times.