Fr. Bob White
Part of my role as priest for a parish like St. Victoria includes what I call a backstage pass to people’s lives. With it I have the privilege of being in on some of the most intimate moments of a family’s life together, the good times and the hard times and everything in between. Mary had that same backstage pass to her son’s life, from his birth to his death and everything in between.
If the wide sweep of life includes both the good and bad and everything in between how do we even begin to describe life.? I’ve heard it put this way. See if this makes sense. “Life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And then in between it’s ordinary. So, the advice given. “Breathe in the amazing. Hold on in the awful. And relax and exhale through the ordinary. That is the heartbreaking, soul healing, amazing and ordinary life we’ve all been given. So, as Mary did, take time to “stand back and see your life for the breathtakingly beautiful gift it is.” And that’s how God sees our lives, as breathtakingly beautiful. And that was Jesus. He modeled for us what it means to live fully human and fully alive. That’s why his life was amazing. And then it was awful. And then it was amazing again.
He was born in the humble surroundings of a stable. And that was amazing. At a point in time things heated up and they crucified him on a cross. And that was awful. But then he was raised from the dead and things were amazing again. But for most of his life he lived as an obscure carpenter who grew up in the hills of Galilee. And that was quite ordinary. But in his heartbreaking, soul healing, amazing, and ordinary way Jesus showed us how to live holding nothing back and embracing life for the gift it is. As you hear that you might think, “My life is not anything special. All I do is get up in the morning and go to work or school or whatever it is you do. And so you’re thinking, “My life is really not that exciting”. It may seem that way but take a closer look.
This Christmas with the family gatherings and festivities that go with that take time to stand back and see your life for the gift it is. And you’ll see how your life is amazing. And then it’s awful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between it’s ordinary. So, breathe in the amazing. Hold on in the awful. And relax and exhale through the ordinary. And then thank God for making your life the breathtakingly beautiful gift it it is. And then see what that does for the quite ordinary life you thought you had to settle for. It doesn’t have to be that way because there’s nothing ordinary about any of us. In God’s eyes were all extraordinary. That is the message of Christmas that we can celebrate every day of our lives. Merry Christmas and blessings on all of you.
