Father Alan Cox, pictured celebrating Mass for the cast and crew of Laurier Senior High School's 2007 Fashion Show, is the retired Chaplain of Laval Catholic High School.
(Photo: Maya)
“Silent Night, Holy Night – all is calm all is bright, round virgin Mother and Child.”
A day to reflect on how we are living
Despite Adam and Eve disobeying God the Father, thereby suffering the effects of neuroticism - the me, I, myself only mentality passed on to each of us, still God the Father so loved the world that He sent us His only son. And what a birth!
Delicate, simple, warm and inviting. The young girl approached – ‘Hail Mary’ – delicate words from the angel. ‘Full of grace, the Lord is with thee.’
Joseph, in a dream, is asked to be foster father and protector to this small family. What a family! Still influencing our peace and sanity to this day. For Jesus was to indicate to us – “I am the way, truth and light, without me you can do nothing. My peace I leave you my peace I give you.” Awake, each one of you, now – awake, awake – and listen to your heart for the saviour comes to greet us in order that we might His comfort take.
Poets are moved to write about the birth of this simple night:
> Longfellow
I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
> Philip Brroks
The dark night wakes, the glory breaks,
And Christmas comes once more.
O Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend
To us we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in,
Be born in us today.
> Tennyson
The time draws near
The moon is hid
The Christmas bells
From hill to hill
Answer each other in the mist
> Shakespeare
And like a bell with solemn sweet vibrations,
I hear once more the voice of Christmas
Say, “Peace!”
> Milton
This is the month, and this
The happy morn
Wherein the son of heaven’s eternal king
Our great redemption from above did bring:
For so the holy sages did sing.
> Brooks
The dark night wakes, the glory breaks,
And Christmas comes once more.
O Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend
To us we pray;
Cast out our sin, and enter in,
Be born in us today.
In richness and simplicity
As we behold the young donkey and little calf around Mother, Child, and Joseph, the arrival of the shepherds with some of their sheep, the visit of the wise men in all richness and simplicity, we realize happiness does not come from having many things, but from being attached to what is simple and gives life, and we thereby discover peace and become peaceful.
In a word, the ability to love God with all our heart and mind and to love our neighbour as ourselves, all of this because of the child born in the crib, still influencing us to this day, despite the games people invent with their legal moves, much like Herod who at the time tried to get rid of the child for he heard he might be a king.
Herod failed to recognize that he is king of our hearts and minds and we decide to become lovers of peace and good will, a light of hope to those around us and beyond.
From the birth of Jesus we discover as a light we are invited to throw away resentment, complaining, pessimism, pettiness, anger, worry and all other doom symptoms to be replaced with trust in Jesus, grateful to be with God our Father as the Holy Spirit guides us with grace each day, to help us understand we are worth living.
In a letter to the Philippians (could have been a note to the people of Laval), St. Paul put it this way: “Rejoice in the Lord, always! Again (and again), I will say rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything. But in everything, by prayer and supplication and with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, surpassing all understanding and guarding your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
Faith and hope
Two-thousand and seven years ago there was an event, a happening between God and humanity, the Gospel of Luke gives us the details – listen with your heart of faith and hope. “...God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee named Nazareth. He had a message for a girl promised in marriage to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. The girl’s name was Mary. The angel came to her and said ‘Peace be with you! The Lord is with you, and has greatly blessed you!' Mary was deeply troubled by the angel’s message and she wondered what his words meant."
The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for God (the Father) has been gracious to you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord will make him a king, as his ancestor David was, and he will be the king of the descendants of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end!"
“I am a virgin,” Mary said to the angel. “How then, can this be?” The angel answered: “The Holy Spirit will overshadow you, and God’s power will rest upon you. For this reason the child will be called the Son of God. Remember your relative Elizabeth. It is said that she cannot have children, but she herself is now six months pregnant (with John the Baptist), even though she is very old. For there isn’t anything that God cannot do!”
Replied Mary, “I am the Lord’s servant. May it happen to me as you have said.” And the angel left her.
Blessings and peacefulness
None of this has ever left us since. An angel and a young girl shared a few moments of conversation and behold – the world and each of us has been opened to new hope and eternal life in heaven. A dramatic change. God the Father recreates living through Mary, Joseph, and Jesus and through the simplicity of family.
May you as mother, father, family, and children realize that you are also giving life and hope to our fragile existence.
Blessings and peacefulness as you fulfill all that is meant to be, in smiles and tenderness you show each day to each other, together with the caring of politeness. When all is said and done there remains – Merry Christmas!
Photo:Cox2
(Photo: Maya)
Météo: Laval, 18 juillet 2008 / 22°C
/ Faible averse de pluie
/ Vents: 22 Km/h / Humidité relative: 83 % 
Steven Guilbeault - Chronique environnement
Richard Cléroux - Le fouineur politique
