Faithfully yours - Christmas is a time to relate

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Published on Sunday, December 11, 2016

By Neil Strohschein

The Neepawa Banner

In his first public statement following his election, Pope Francis set out his vision for a Catholic church that was prepared to use its resources and influence to help those who were most in need; the poor, the prisoners, the refugees, the displaced and the homeless, to name but a few.

As he heard Francis speak, one of the cardinals turned to his friend, Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, and said: “My word! He sounds just like Jesus;” to which Dolan replied: “I think that’s part of his job description.” Both chuckled—quietly, of course.

It’s hard to argue with the content of the comments Pope Francis shared that day. It’s equally hard to deny the conviction with which they were shared. His words were primarily written for and shared with the leaders of his church. But thanks to modern technology, millions of people from all faith traditions heard him urge all Christians everywhere to go back to the Bible, read about the Christ whose name we bear and then in our personal lives, our public lives and our religious lives, strive to be as he was and do as he did.

That will, of necessity, force us to reevaluate some of our policies and practices, especially as we realize how many of today’s needy Jesus can relate to. You see, at one time in his life, he was one of them. Here are a few examples of what I mean.

The refugees—Jesus knows how it feels to be forced to flee his homeland and take refuge in another country to keep from being killed by an evil king who wanted him dead.

The homeless—Jesus never owned a home or rented an apartment. As he moved from place to place during his ministry, he stayed with friends who welcomed him into their homes and gave him a place at the table and a bed for the night.

The persecuted—Jesus was constantly hounded, harassed, tormented and pressured by those who did not share his beliefs and who wanted him silenced. 

The workers—Jesus spent the first 30 years of his life as one of them. He worked in his earthly father’s carpenter shop, helping to support and care for his mother and siblings. He understands the challenges faced by those who work long hours each day just to earn enough to get by.

The frustrated—especially those who have lost confidence in governments or those who lead the various branches of organized religion. Jesus openly criticized the religious leaders of his day and condemned them for their hypocrisy, pride and love of money. He was equally critical of King Herod and some of the things he had done during his reign as governor of Jerusalem and Judea. He understands those frustrations very well indeed.

The bereaved and grieving—Jesus was no stranger to any of those things. He wept openly while standing at the grave of his good friend Lazarus and no doubt had many other times when he stood next to those who were grieving and spoke words of comfort to them.

The Christmas story is all about God coming to earth, in the person of Jesus Christ, to seek and to save those who were poor, in prison, suffering, and grieving. A Jesus who can meet people at their point of need and grant them healing is God’s gift to us. A church that is prepared to go out into society and spent its resources meeting needs and healing hurts should be our gift to the world.