To the people of the Archdiocese of Mobile

Christmas is a wonderful time of year. There are decorations, songs, gift-giving, and gatherings with loved ones. We have tried to make this season a light and happy one because there is the joy that God became man. God took flesh in order to bring us salvation.
But there is also a very serious side to the story of Christmas which we might overlook because we have sought to make this such a festive time of year. Christmas is more than a festive tale; it is also a very serious story.
The Bible tells us that Mary and Joseph are away from home when it was time for the baby to be born. They are not home in Nazareth but are in Bethlehem. They find a makeshift place where the baby could be born, with all of the struggles involved with that. Then, once the baby is born, shepherds arrive.  We make the shepherds look nice in our nativity scenes but these were the guys who lived in the fields with animals. They were looked down upon and had a low reputation. Let us not dwell long on what they looked like or smelled like. I doubt that most of us would feel comfortable if one of them came and sat next to us in the pew.
And then a few days later, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple and Anna and Simeon told Mary that, because of this baby, a sword would pierce her heart.
Then men from some foreign country, probably not even speaking the language of Mary and Joseph, arrive bringing gifts. Mary and Joseph must have wondered what was happening.
Then the civil authorities tried to find out where Mary and Joseph were so they could kill their baby.
This is the story of struggles. We have made it a happy one because of the joy that God is bringing us salvation but we should not overlook the seriousness of the story.
In the midst of our celebration of Christmas may we not forget the serious message of Christmas for us personally.  This baby in the manger came to die on the cross for us and will return again at the end of the world. The Lord will return not wrapped in swaddling clothes but wrapped in light as with a garment. He will not come to die on the cross, rather He will come accompanied by an army of angels. He will not come to be judged; He will come to judge. This baby is the Lord who will come again to establish His kingdom.
The serious message of Christmas is not merely that Jesus came into the world at Bethlehem, but that He comes to us now.
Each one of us will one day stand before this baby and whether or not we are welcomed into His kingdom depends on whether we welcome Him here and now. 
How does the Lord come to us now? He comes in many ways. He comes to us in ordinary ways that are easy for us to overlook, as easy as it was for most of the people of Bethlehem not to realize who had come into their town. 
He comes to us through prayer. Prayer means a conversation with God. It means for us to speak to God and allow God to speak to us. Sometimes that may not describe our prayer. 
Perhaps you have had the experience of talking with someone and they do all of the talking. It is difficult to say a word. We can only stand there and listen while they speak. This can be frustrating. 
Sometimes I think God must feel the same way when we pray. 
We do all of the talking. How often do we take time just to be silent with the Lord and let Him talk to us? After all, who has more to say, we or God? God knows our needs even before we speak them.
The Lord also comes to us in the Eucharist. We are to realize that the Eucharist is real, the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, His Body, His Blood. This is what Jesus did at the Last Supper when He said, “This is My Body,” “This is My Blood.”
The Lord comes to us in Scripture. Whether we read it on the pages of the Bible or it is proclaimed to us through a human voice, it is really God speaking to us. 
The Lord comes to us, and this may be the most painful of all for us to accept. He comes to us sometimes through the words of other people. When they challenge us in how we are living. When they challenge us to change.
He comes to us in the poor. Do we actually see Jesus in the poor? The Lord tells us that whatever you do to them, that is what you are doing to me.
In all the ways the Lord comes to us here and now, we are to welcome Him into our lives as truly as Mary and Joseph did. We are to allow Him to change us into the person He calls us to be.
Sometimes in youth ministry teenagers are asked this question: 20 years from now, how will you judge that you are being successful in life? The teenagers give all sorts of answers. They say: I will be successful if I have a nice house, or a new car, or making a lot of money at my work, or have money in the bank.
Then the teenagers are asked, when you are lying on your deathbed, how will you judge that your life has been successful? And they will say, well, if I have helped other people; if I have shown love; if I have forgiven.
The teens are then asked why these two lists are so different. Why is there such a difference between how you will judge that your life is being successful 20 years from now and how you will judge if your life is successful when you are dying?
For all of us the serious question is whether we are welcoming the Lord here and now into our hearts and living as He calls us to live. 
I have been with a number of people as they are dying and I have seen people die in all sorts of ways. Some people die with great peace, great joy. I have seen people also die with great remorse, great regret. I remember a successful business man, about two or three days before he died, telling me that he realized that everything that he thought was important didn’t mean a thing. I am glad he finally realized it but wouldn’t it have been wonderful if he had realized it decades before?
The Lord came into the world in Bethlehem, but the Lord comes to us now. In the beauty of this holy season, let us remember the Lord wishes to come to us, change us, abide in us. 
This is the serious message of this happy season. Good people, what is the point of placing the statue of Jesus in the manger scene if we don’t place Him into our hearts?
May this Christmas be a grace-filled time to truly welcome the Lord into our lives. May you and your loved ones have a merry and holy Christmas.

                    
Sincerely in the Lord,




                    +Thomas J. Rodi
    Archbishop of Mobile