But a closer reading of the Gospels reveals a darker and more difficult side to Jesus’ birth.

In Luke’s Gospel, Simeon predicts that a sword will pierce Mary’s heart. In Matthew’s Gospel, the wise man accidentally tip off Herod to the Messiah’s birth, and this maniacal king sends soldiers to kill all the male children in Bethlehem under two years old in order to make sure the newborn king is dead.

Warned by an angel about this horrifying event, Joseph flees with his family to a foreign country. They become immigrants and refugees seeking safety in Egypt, and they will remain there for years until Herod dies.

The danger, the flight to Egypt, and the challenge of starting over in a foreign country are bad enough, but we do not know how Joseph, Mary and Jesus were treated by the Egyptians. Were they welcomed? Were they treated with dignity and respect? Was Joseph able to find work easily? Did anyone help Mary with her baby? We don’t know.

We do know that God commanded the ancient Israelites – and us today – to welcome immigrants: "The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God" (Lev. 19:34). The Church hears this call while recognizing that nations have the right and duty to regulate immigration. What the Church never condones is the stripping of the human dignity of anyone, regardless of how they may have entered a country. God’s law supersedes all man-made laws.

Sadly, we know how immigrants have been treated in our country: with violent words and with violent actions which have sinfully stripped people of their dignity and their rights. This is sin on a massive scale.

On November 12th of this year, our bishops issued a rare statement about what is happening in our country. They expressed their deep concern for the way migrants are being treated, and they call on all people of good will to accompany and assist immigrants. (U.S. Bishops Issue a “Special Message” on Immigration from Plenary Assembly in Baltimore | USCCB)

As people of faith, we must stand up always and everywhere for the dignity of every human person. At Christmas this year, while we celebrate with our family and friends, let us not forget that many of our brothers and sisters who migrated to this country are in prison or are living in fear. Jesus himself was an immigrant who started his life at the mercy of the Egyptians. Let us heed our bishops’ call and stand up for, accompany, and assist the immigrants among us.

Saint of the Month

St. Ambrose of Milan

You thought I was going to mention St. Nicholas whose memorial is on December 6, didn’t you? No, I’m thinking of a great saint and doctor of the Church whose feast day is on December 7: St. Ambrose of Milan.

St. Ambrose was born in Trier in what is now Germany in 339 AD. In 374, he was nominated to be bishop of Milan, which was the capital of the empire at that point. Ambrose was a brilliant theologian, an eloquent speaker, and an effective leader. He was also a fearless defender of the faith against challenges posed by the Arians. Arius was a priest who was condemned at the council of Nicea for teaching that Jesus was not God. Although he was condemned, he continued to have followers who threatened the Church’s belief in the incarnation. If it wasn’t for people like St. Ambrose, we might not celebrate Christmas at all.

Ambrose also possessed very practical wisdom for peace and unity within the Church. He believed in unity in diversity, especially in liturgy. In the fourth century, the Roman Church fasted every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, while in Milan, Christians did not fast on Saturday. St. Monica and her son, St. Augustine – who was baptized by Ambrose – asked the bishop of Milan about this. His response was that it was OK for the Church to have different customs in different places. What was important was to respect the local custom. “When in Rome do as the Romans do” is a paraphrase of the advice Ambrose gave to Monica and Augustine. It is still good advice!

This diversity in liturgy still exists in Milan. The Milanese have their own rite and do not follow the Roman rite. If you go to Mass in Milan, you will find that their Advent is six weeks, not four, and the sign of peace is in a different place in the Mass than it is in the Roman ritual. So, if you are ever in Milan, don’t forget: When in Milan, do as the Milanese do!

Ministry Spotlight

Make sure your hospitality and evangelization ministries are ready for the Christmas crowds!

We all know that many Catholics who may not attend Mass often return to Church for Christmas and Easter. The crowded pews and parking lots even make regular church goers grumble! That should never be our attitude. This is the perfect time for our evangelization ministries to roll up their sleeves and do some work.

If people return to Church for Christmas, it means that they still have a connection to Christ and to the faith. This can be an opportunity to fan those embers into a flame. First, meet with your ministers of hospitality (or ushers) and remind them that just as we would be welcoming to Christmas

guests in our homes, we should be welcoming to our guests at Mass. The presider can make a special welcome to people visiting – even if they are “locals.” The idea is we should let people know we are happy that they are there.

Then be ready to invite them to something immediately after the holidays. Maybe have a Theology on Tap session ready to go that might be appealing to people whose connections to the Church are tenuous. “Everything you wanted to know about Catholicism but were afraid to ask” is usually a popular one. People are always interested to know why we do what we do… you could have a talk during the Christmas season on “What happened to the 12 days of Christmas and other fun facts about the season”. The idea is have something that is light, fun and hospitable to invite them to, and to be prepared to ask them while they're there!

Sometimes people are waiting for the invitation to come back. But we need to have something for them to come back to, besides the Mass. Let them experience community, fun, and connection while learning about their faith. It might entice them to come back to Mass between Christmas and Easter!

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Views from the Pews

"There is so much I want to say about RENEW that I hardly know where to begin. Through RENEW, I have witnessed the Holy Spirit powerfully at work in our Catholic community. In addition to attending my own group, my goal is to experience a session at each of our thirteen groups. What I have witnessed so far has truly astounded me. I’ve seen college athletes learning from older parishioners, teens thoughtfully debating whether it is harder to forgive or to be forgiven, folks returning to Mass, and others simply seeking friendship and growth in their faith. Again and again, I’ve heard participants share how meaningful it has been to talk about Jesus in a safe and welcoming space.

The RENEW process itself has been seamless and fruitful, guiding us step by step, from planning to fruition, to where we now have over 140 participants. When we were first discerning whether RENEW would be right for our Collaborative, I remember asking Joe how we might measure “success.” He asked me: 'If just one person found Jesus, would that not be success?' This week, as we reflected on the parable of the lost sheep in RENEW - Week 4, Joe’s words came flooding back to me."

Evangeline Egizi, Beverly Catholic Collaborative 

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