SÉAMUS AHEARNE: COBWEBS FOR CHRISTMAS:

Liz (our Parish Sister) dropped in for a coffee. She is busy preparing everything for the Church Services. She is getting old and her body protests. The passion remains for life. She is full of energy. Her mind is strong. The pains growl. The general population within Church life is getting old too. Many who did so much are no longer able to do so. Despite her age, she glances automatically around my house. She sees everything. When I casually mentioned that I had done all my shopping; had sent out all the cards; had bought all the presents (which meant I hadn’t done any of them); and had put up all my Christmas decorations, she responded, “The only decorations I can see are the cobwebs.” I told her that these were nature’s decorations and should be admired and not ridiculed. Liz found further evidence of my deterioration: I had put my medicine box into the fridge. We were due to have lunch with two retired Principals from our schools yesterday; I  had forgotten it. (She had to remind me). I am worried. I always had an excellent memory but strange things are happening now. I even visit the doctor occasionally! The Parish Sister then began to placate me. She told me that I had too much to do and too much on my mind. Well maybe.

THE ADVENTURE OF FAITH:

The Adventurer, former SAS man and TV Host on ‘The Wild’, Bear Grylls,  has written a new book. ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told: An Eyewitness Account.’ I haven’t read it. I have read about it. I have no idea how good or superficial it is. I don’t know if our Scripture Scholars would cringe at it. This book is highly successful in the market place. Bear thinks it is the best thing he has ever written and the best thing he has ever done. This book is about Jesus Christ. Grylls gets angry at the Churches. He believes that the Churches have diminished Christ. They have reduced him and corralled him into tiny little organised and controlled pens. Bear sees Christ as the one who has been the outstanding person of life, throughout the generations, and that this is the Greatest Story ever for telling. I rather like the idea that this Adventurer is now entering into the Wilds of life and planning a different Adventure. Those of us who are called ministers might look on our life as an adventure into the world of the greatest story,  and into the ‘call’ of the most influential person of life. And that isn’t past but rather exciting for us to enter the Wilds of today’s world. The Adventure never stops. And we can’t. The Word has to be made flesh every day. That is ministry.

GRANDIOSITY:

Susie Wiles (Trump’s Chief of Staff) was interviewed by Vanity Fair. She used language from the jargon of alcoholics. She knew that world rather too well. One word which she didn’t use, despite describing Donald as having an alcoholic personality (without the drink), was GRANDIOSITY. This word is a frequent rambler in that world. It is very applicable. One other version sometimes used about the sharing in AA is the cat story. “My black cat is blacker than your black cat.” Many want to be more outrageous in their story telling than the previous one. But Trump lives the GRANDIOSITY version. He is so absorbed in himself that he only hears his own most elaborate version of himself. He can everything better than anyone else. He is the best and the greatest. That is truth to him.

DICKENS AND CHRISTMAS:

Dickens caught the spirit of Christmas. He caught much more in his writings. And there was much more for catching. He described life well and some of it was awful. But the essential simple words he saw as important for the time (Christmas) were: a time for quietness. A time for caring. A time for love. A time for sharing the little or the much  that people had. A time for laughter. A time for replenishing the heart with the beauty of the ordinary. A time for goodness.

THE CRIB:

A minor thought: The Crib. We have had several rather serious discussions at Mass recently. The carry-on of Mary: “I did nothing.” The carry-on of Joseph: “Neither did I.” “This doesn’t make sense.” Mary’s running off to Elizabeth. Was Joseph abandoned? Was she pregnant then? The silent Zachariah. Until he agreed the name. Why was he silent? Immaculate conceptions and virginal births and dreams didn’t come easily into the understanding of some of our more critical Mass goers. But faith does out. The women are all caring and worried about poor Mary. The men were more concerned about Joseph. They felt that some of this was a rather tall story and it didn’t have to be so elaborate! I think we did end up with acceptance and above all gratitude for Jesus Christ coming as a baby and being reared by Mary and Joseph. My little thought is this as promised at the beginning: The Crib. I don’t care whether it is a cave or a cow shed or whatever. I believe we are all little cribs for Christ. That we have been given a baby which we have to bring fully to life. That revelation now happens through us. That every day is a miracle. We have only to notice. That there are layers to be revealed every given moment. That somehow that Great Story; that Great Person; that God within us, is in the Crib of our lives. Augustine this morning said: “Wake up O wo(man) – it was for you God became human. Awake O sleeper and arise from the dead and Christ will give you light.” And Leo (the Great) wrote: “Nobody is an outsider to this happiness.” “This is no season for sadness, this, the birthday of life.”   

Seamus Ahearne osa 24^th December 2025.

(ED: APOLOGIES FOR LATE POSTING – MISSED THE POSTMAN!)