A Beautiful and timeless Christmas Message ...

BISHOP
KEVIN J.
SWEENEY

I  wrote my first weekly column in the Beacon in September 2020. Msgr. James Mahoney was Vicar General and an excellent proofreader, editor, and coach, helping me with the column (and so many other “new experiences”) in my first months as Bishop. Msgr. Mahoney retired as Vicar General at the end of September 2020, and Msgr. Mark Condon has been serving in that role ever since. Msgr. Condon has also been a great help to me with my weekly column — and in many other areas.

At some point, it may have been in mid or late 2021, Msgr. Condon mentioned that he thought I would enjoy reading some of the columns that Bishop Casey had written. Bishop Casey was the “founding publisher” of The Beacon in 1967 and wrote a weekly column for the next 10 years until his passing in 1977. A collection of Bishop Casey’s columns was published in book form by Paulist Press in 1976 under the title, The Heart Remembers, Too. Msgr. Condon was correct; I loved reading Bishop Casey’s column. The book is a small paperback, 182 pages, with 54 of Bishop’s Casey’s columns. Unfortunately, it is currently out of print. I am going to look into the possibility of getting some new copies printed.

I was about two-thirds of the way through the book, and for some reason, I put it aside. I took it with me on a number of trips but never got back to it. In recent weeks, as we had to make the sad decision to discontinue the print edition of The Beacon, I had been meaning to go back to Bishop Casey’s columns. As the weeks passed, Thanksgiving came and went, and all of a sudden, we were in the second week of Advent. I thought to myself, “Bishop Casey must have written a Christmas column?” I thought I had found it when I saw that the second-to-last column in the book was entitled, Even the Darkest Night Must End. Although I was disappointed to quickly learn that it was not a “Christmas Column” (even as a Yankees fan), I was delighted to read a WONDERFUL column about the 1969 New York Mets.

“Hope does not disappoint,” … and Bishop Casey “came through in the clutch,” not letting me down, as I found a column entitled, What Can I Give Him. I felt that it was Bishop Casey giving me an early Christmas Gift, and it is my pleasure to share that gift with you:

By Bishop Lawrence B. Casey

The old man said, “Christmas is just for children. Christmas is a toy and a legend and a stocking hung by the fireplace. It’s the spirit of Santa Claus that we keep alive for the sake of the very young.”

And the Wise Man answered and said, “Christmas is for all men. Christmas is a renewal of faith that knows neither time nor age. The Christ of Christmas is without beginning and without end, as eternal as the stars, as infinite as the heavens.”

The young mother said, “Christmas is a burden. It’s a drudge readying the house for the holidays and shopping at the last minute. It’s traffic jams and bustle and rudeness. It’s over commercialized and expensive. Christmas is too much for me.”

And the Wise Man answered and said, “Was the Christ child in the manger a burden to His mother? The Christ of Christmas is calm and buoyant, replete with the joy of sharing, as gentle as the snowflake on the hill, as quiet as the candle’s flame, as joyous as the song the angels sang.”

The youth said, “Christmas is too much? Christmas is nothing. It’s not relevant in today’s world. How can we lie and corrupt and cheat and steal and kill and go to war and still celebrate Christmas? Maybe for your generation. Not for mine.”

And the Wise Man answered and said, “If Christmas has no meaning, then life has no meaning. Without the peace that is Christmas, how can man hope to sheathe his sword? Without the truth that is Christmas, how can man hope to trust his brother? Without the love that is Christmas, how can man hope to live in harmony? Without the life that is Christmas, how indeed can man exist? The Christ of Christmas is eternal, ageless, joyous, quiet, the essence of life and of truth and of love.”

Three views, three answers. Another wise man summed up the mystery of Christmas: “To think Christmas over again: God becomes man to dwell among us, to talk to us, to be our fellow traveler, friend, teacher, image of the invisible God, savior. In a word, Christmas is a light that must not be extinguished; the light of inner life, our own personal life which cannot be lonely and desolate. A new experience, humble, easy, beautiful. Try it, beloved sons and daughters” (Pope Paul VI: 1972 Christmas Message).

What can I give Him
Poor as I am
If I were a shepherd,
I would give him a lamb.
If I were a wise man,
I would do my part.
But what can I give Him?
I will give Him my heart.

— Christina Rosseti

At Christmas all of us must keep our hearts open to Christ’s saving power. Those who have wandered away from Christ should visit the Crib in their parish church and see the arms of the Infant outstretched to welcome them. We pray that these pilgrims will return to his pardoning embrace through a good confession and know the peace of soul He came to bring them. Christmas without Christ is an empty and cheerless day.

Our prayers also go out for the sick of the diocese, who would give much to be at Mass on Christmas Day; for the lonely living in a strange town, for those who are far from home, serving their country. We remember in a special way those who have recently lost a loved one. It is hard to lose one’s own, but it easier to lose them to God than to his creatures. Like those precious things that our mother took away from us when we were little, until we would be better able to appreciate them, so God has taken our loved ones to Himself to keep them for us in eternity. We pray that our Savior will make us all young in heart and unite us all, forgiving and forgiven, at His Crib.

At this blessed season, I wish you the peace of Christ. May you have a truly happy Christmas.