Christmas Homily 2016

Christmas Homily

December 25, 2015

Invasion

 

            How many of you have a little nativity scene in your house? They’re pretty much everywhere this time of year. Everyone’s got a little figurine of Mary and Joseph, an adorable baby Jesus, probably some sweet-faced angels and innocent shepherds. It all just looks so…cute.

            But it doesn’t tell the whole story of what’s going on here.

            We are in a world at war. From the beginning of time, there has been a dreadful war between the powers of Satan and darkness and the power of God. In the midst of this war, humanity came under a terrible curse – the curse of sin, which drew us toward the side of evil. Violence versus peace, lust versus purity, hatred versus love, greed versus generosity…from the beginning of time, this invisible war was raging to see which side will win out for the control of souls. And for the longest time, it looked like darkness was winning.

            And then came the Invasion.

            In the cold of December amidst the darkness of night, God Himself entered the world – Jesus Christ. He came in camouflage – looking like an innocent newborn baby. But no one could have predicted the immense power and holiness in that small child, because this was no ordinary child – it was God, invading the world to set captives free and deliver us from evil.

            Yes, my friends, when we look at that cute little manger scene, remember that it was a daring invasion in the middle of a battle – the battle for human souls, to literally save the world.

            And it was a battle to the death. Literally. Evil, sin, and the devil tried to destroy Jesus Christ by hanging Him on a Cross. But there’s the sweet irony – it was precisely by using the devil’s own weapon, death, that Jesus conquered him. He arose on the third day as the victorious King, the Hero who set our world free.

            But what does that have to do with us? Why did Star Wars just recently smash box office records? Because there is something in the human heart that longs to be a part of an epic battle between good and evil! I remember about ten years ago when Lord of the Rings came out. My sister and I went to go see the first one, and as we were driving home from the viewing, she said with a sigh, “Why can’t life be more like Lord of the Rings? Epic battles, daring rescues, the war between good and evil. Why can’t life be like that?”

            At the time I remember thinking, “But life IS like that! If we had eyes to see the invisible battle that rages on around us, with eternity hanging in the balance, we would recognize that we DO live in an epic story.”

            But the primary battlefield between good and evil is not primarily “out there”, as if it were fought on the streets or on the internet. No, the battlefield between good and evil, between God and the devil, is your soul. As St. Maximilian Kolbe – a saint who died in the gas chambers of Auschwitz – once said, “What use are victories on the battlefield if we are defeated within our innermost selves?”

            And it’s up to us to decide who will win. Will we allow Christ to invade our hearts? He invaded the world 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem. He conquered the enemy forces on the hill of Calvary when He died on the Cross. But He cannot win the victory in your soul unless you let Him invade your life.

            If you do not have Christ in your life – in every single day of your life – then you are captive. You are held bound by sin, addiction, fear, past hurts, emptiness. That is precisely what Christ came to free us from, if we let Him invade our souls!

            We do that by confessing our sins in Confession – that frees us from the powers of darkness. We do that by receiving Him here in the Eucharist – that allows Christ to invade. We do that by daily prayer, especially reading the Bible – that gives us instructions on how to follow Him as soldiers of Christ. We do that by our acts of service to others – that spreads the Kingdom of God throughout the world.

            My friends, I apologize if you came here looking for a “cute” homily. There’s nothing cute about it: You and I are a part of an epic story, a battle between good and evil. The good news is that today, Christmas, we celebrate the invasion of God into a world ruled by evil. Now go live your part – and let Him invade your life.