Denver Catholic

4 I OPINION DECEMBER 24, 2014 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER ARCHBISHOP AQUILA'S SCHEDULE Dec. 24: Midnight Mass, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (midnight) Dec. 25: Mass, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (10:30 a.m.) Jan. 8: Mass (6:20 p.m.) and speaker at Legatus Denver chapter meeting, St. JPII Center Jan. 17: March for Life Colorado, Mass, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (11:30 a.m.); speaker at rally on west steps of Capitol (1 p.m.) THE CATHOLIC DIFFERENCE GEORGE WEIGEL It might seem that everything that could be said, has been said, about the shepherds, the wise men and the Christ Child. But that's one of the marvels of Scripture: the unfolding history of the Church draws out of the inspired Word of God allegories and images previously unrecognized. Thus the familiar Christmas story and its well-known cast of characters shed light on a year in which the Church has been roiled by contention between today's shepherds and today's Magi: be- tween those who, today, hear angels singing, and those whose experience of the faith has been thoroughly "demythologized" and intellectualized. The shepherds we know: poor peasants who, initially afraid, nonetheless did as the angel commanded. And the Magi? They were scientists, intellectuals, who had a lot of obstacles to overcome in reaching their Bethlehem destination—and in comprehending just what happened to them there. There was the obstacle of distance, for these were, as Matthew tells us, wise men "from the East." (The mosaicist decorating St. Mary Major in Rome took that to mean Persia, and gave the Magi bright, polka-dotted vesture.) Wherever they came from, though, they came "from afar," which was no easy business in those days, even for scientists following a celestial GPS. But the greater obstacle for the wise men was, well, their wisdom: or, perhaps better, the intellectual pride that's a constant temptation for people who live their professional lives inside their heads. As Hans Urs von Balthasar once wrote in a Christmas homily, those who are rich in knowledge "have to do a great deal of gymnastics to extricate themselves from their neat and tidy concepts, opinions, perspectives, experi- ences and worldviews" before they can approach in humble faith "the naked earth where the Child lies in the crib." And then, at the crib, they must offer their "intellectual riches … to holy poverty," accepting "the inner poverty of all human knowledge [in order to fi nd] their way to the divine poverty." In impoverishing themselves by giving their gifts and aban- doning their intellectual pride, the Magi "brought themselves down to the level of the shepherds, and so a fi rst Christian community can be formed out of the two groups." And thus it has been ever since: all of us must "come down to the level adopted by God himself in his Incarnation—the level of pov- erty, crib, fl ight …" Yet in lowering ourselves to the lowliness that God himself assumes in taking on a human nature, we remain who we are: some are intellectually gifted and rich in the world's goods; others are impoverished in various ways. But all can become one in Christ Jesus, as St. Paul teaches, because all have been empowered by the Lord to make of our lives a gift to others. What does this have to do with this past year in the life of the Church? At least this: According to tradition, the relics of the Magi, those hum- ble intellectuals, rest in Germany's Cologne Cathedral. That now seems quite providential. No local Church over the past two centuries has invested more in the intellectual life than German Catholicism. No local Church today is prouder of its theological accomplishments than the German Church; indeed, one German theologian, introducing an anthology of critical commentaries on John Paul II's encyclical, Veritatis Splendor, claimed that Germany bore a special responsibility for Catholic theology. Yet German Catholicism is sclerotic, its churches largely empty. Something is, obviously, missing. That "something," I suggest, is the vibrant, New Testament-style faith found in the Catholic Church in Africa, whose leaders, at Synod 2014, challenged the leaders of German Catholicism to stand fi rm in the "faith once delivered to the saints" [Jude 1:3]. The Africans seem to have been reliving the role of the Christmas shepherds recently, rejoicing in the Good News. As for today's Magi, well, German Catholic leaders might well refl ect, this Weinacht, on the lessons in intellectual humility taught by the scholars whose relics are venerated in one of Germany's great cathedrals. So should all of us in the ideas business. Christmas and the humbling of the wise men HVAC www.GoMajorNow.com Waterworks www.carwash-waterworks.com 10-12 Complete Complete Certificates SPECIALIZING (303) from Archdiocesan GOLDEN Please (720) BY GINA WARNER The waiting is over. Christ is born! Words don't seem to do it justice. I've had this feeling before— occasions when my heart has actively awaited some exciting event, only to fi nd it trivialized by words when I later try to relay it. November 18, 1984 comes to mind. I was a freshman in high school in Omaha. After months of waiting, the moment had come: the fi rst time that I would fi nally be in the same room with Bruce Springsteen. My Bruce, my precious. My friends Katie and Ruth Ann had camped out for the covet- ed tickets weeks before and be- stowed one upon me. I recall everything about that night. I remember meticulously choos- ing my pink cowl-neck sweater and stone-washed, pleat-front, Guess jeans as the optimal outfi t for this fi rst encounter with the Boss. I remember sitting next to my twin sister, Mia, in the car on the way to the arena and the drive feeling like it took hours. I remember Bruce coming out on stage in a simple white T-shirt and jeans, opening with his anthem, "Born in the U.S.A." But then, it ended. That's how it goes with things of this world. They have limits. And that is why the birth of the Eternal King is unlike every other affair worthy of our anticipation and elation. It is in another stratosphere altogeth- er. Because the worldly things that provide us with happiness are not lasting. Only He is. He is the concert that never ends. On the day of his birth, God gifts us with a King who is eter- nally accessible to us. He bestows to us a Savior we can approach at any time. Christmas is not limit- ed to the restrictions of venue or audience. Christmas is for every- one, in every place, at every time. We don't need to camp out for tickets to attend Christ's arrival. We receive a front-row seat with- out any price for admission. We are offered full free- dom to respond to his presence in our lives. He loves us that much. So how can I make Christmas an active part of my daily faith life, and not just a day to catalog new memories like my fi rst date with the Boss? Who better to look to than the star witnesses themselves? Enter Mary, Joseph, the shep- herds and the Magi. Mary responded to the angel Gabriel with complete acceptance: "Let it be to me according to your word." She cooperated with God's will de- spite the seeming impossibility of it all. Mary invites me to con- sider how cooperative I am with God's will for me. What might I be resistant to that God is invit- ing me to carry for him? Joseph, Jesus' earthly father, loyally accompanied Mary in the face of the most unconventional circumstances. He is a beacon for me to grow in devotion to my own family, and to foster a great- er appreciation for the family in our culture. Am I praying for my family and friends to grow closer to God? Am I teaching my chil- dren how to pray? Do I welcome those who are estranged from their own families? The shepherds are told to "be not afraid," by the angel of the Lord who shares the good news of the birth of Christ. Despite their fear, they moved briskly ahead to see Jesus and then shared what they had witnessed. Their exam- ple prompts me to ponder how readily I am turning to Christ with my fears and insecurities. Am I trusting God with every- thing, or trying to manage the darker corners of my life accord- ing to my own will? Am I willing to share the truth of my faith with others, just as the shepherds did? The Magi brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They inspire me to consider the mate- rial and spiritual gifts that I have to offer others, even those out- side of my inner circle. Am I us- ing the gifts God gave me for my own benefi t, or for his glory? Am I using my gifts to reach those out- side the margins? When I allow myself to be fully receptive to all that Christ- mas offers, it becomes so much more than an event with a be- ginning and an end. It inclines to something profound: an on- going, personal encounter with our Savior. And that is a song worth singing. Denver Catholic Register col- umnist Gina Warner considers herself an everyday Catholic in the pew. A wife and mother of three, she's dabbled in classes at the Augustine Institute and Cath- olic Biblical School. Having spent most of her career as a freelance writer, she simply can't stop shar- ing her enthusiasm for the faith. VIEW FROM THE PEW The concert that never ends drive feeling like it took hours. I remember Bruce coming out on stage in a simple white T-shirt and jeans, herds and the Magi. GINA WARNER Thank you, St. Anthony I don't believe in supersti- tion. I did read in the Register the letter by Patsy Teague ("De- votion to St. Anthony," Dec. 3 Denver Catholic Register) con- cerning how her prayers to St. Anthony helped her. Nice. Then this past week I noticed that my wedding ring which I have worn constantly, never off my fi nger, through sleep, show- ers, etc.—my wedding ring was gone, after 44 years. I searched and searched again. I remem- bered the article and I prayed to St. Anthony. "Help me. I want my ring back." Lo and behold, within hours I found it. Say or believe what you want. I guess when the Church says that this saint is the patron of lost things, it means something. Thank you, St. Anthony. David A. 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