January 4th Fast

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JMJ

 "I am also repeatedly struck by the Gospel writer’s almost casual remark that there was no room for them at the inn. Inevitably the question arises, what would happen if Mary and Joseph were to knock at my door. Would there be room for them? And then it occurs to us that Saint John takes up this seemingly chance comment about the lack of room at the inn, which drove the Holy Family into the stable; he explores it more deeply and arrives at the heart of the matter when he writes: “he came to his own home, and his own people received him not” (Jn 1:11). . .do we really have room for God when he seeks to enter under our roof? Do we have time and space for him? Do we not actually turn away God himself? We begin to do so when we have no time for God. The faster we can move, the more efficient our time-saving appliances become, the less time we have. And God? The question of God never seems urgent. Our time is already completely full. But matters go deeper still. Does God actually have a place in our thinking? Our process of thinking is structured in such a way that he simply ought not to exist. Even if he seems to knock at the door of our thinking, he has to be explained away . . . There is no room for him. Not even in our feelings and desires is there any room for him. We want ourselves. We want what we can seize hold of, we want happiness that is within our reach, we want our plans and purposes to succeed. We are so “full” of ourselves that there is no room left for God. And that means there is no room for others either, for children, for the poor, for the stranger  . .  In our case, it is probably not very often that we make haste for the things of God. God does not feature among the things that require haste. The things of God can wait, we think and we say. And yet he is the most important thing, ultimately the one truly important thing. Why should we not also be moved by curiosity to see more closely and to know what God has said to us?" 

(Homily of Pope Benedict XVI, Christmas Midnight Mass 2012) 

Are our hearts an open door to where God can always enter and dwell?  Or does God need to knock because it is locked, but even then do we open it?  Or perhaps, worse still, are our lives so busy and filled with interminable noise that we never even hear the knock?  As the Holy Father said, "The faster we can move, the more efficient our time-saving appliances become, the less time we have." What are we doing with all this time being saved except filling it with more distractions, with more earthly concerns that push God away from our thoughts and hearts.  And if we push God away, we are pushing away Love itself.  True Love that is generous, self-sacrificing, and above all, humble.  It is no wonder that there is no room for Christ in our hearts because humility cannot dwell where pride abides.

But what is most frightening is that more often than not we do so unconsciously.  More than push God away, we simply ignore any invitation He sends us.  Like the shepherds, "why should we not also be moved by curiosity to see more closely and to know what God has said to us?"  If God's Love does not constantly dwell in our hearts, it will not dwell in our homes.  We must refuse a dwelling place for our wants, our needs, our desires if we are to make a dwelling place for Him.

"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life, will lose it, but whoever wishes to lose his life for my sake will find it." (Mt. 16: 24-25)

Do not forget that the cross is not simply the symbol of suffering but the emblem of love.  When we embrace our cross, we embrace the One who died on it, and we embrace Love itself.  Then Love will abide in us and its fruits - charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control - will nourish our families and those around us.  It is not enough to learn to live with others, but to learn to love others.  We cannot expect the culture around us to be attracted to the Truth of God's Love if it does not see the fruits of it in our lives and our families.

Let us make room for Christ in our hearts, and welcome Him to dwell in our homes.  Let us strive for interior silence so we can listen for Him in our daily lives, and so we can recognize and greet Him in those we love and those we find hard to love. As Blessed John Paul II so often said, "Open wide the doors to Christ!"