My reflection today is from the shepherds:
“The open countryside Northeast of Bethlehem
December 30, 0001
Dear Christmas Friend,
The other shepherds have asked me to write to you. I am their delegate. (I am the only one who knows how to write.) We all want to wish you Mary Christ-Mass.
We waited until after Christmas to write to you. On purpose. For one thing, until we heard the angels singing and then went over to see for ourselves, we had nothing to say to anybody, about anything. For another reason, it’s the days after a big celebration that cause time to seem like it’s dragging, and can tempt you to think you’re not very special.
These feelings we can relate to, for sure. We have the most time dragging profession in all the world! Watching sheep! Looking out for wild animals! Hour after hour! Dull is the only word for it.
Also, we’re about the most despised people in the world. Just a shade above the tax collectors. Nobody looks at us when we go to town. Nobody thinks we have anything important to say. Nobody cares.
But God cares. We never thought so before; but now we know it. We were the first ones to hear the message. God’s message was: ‘Don’t be afraid of anything or anybody. Don’t listen to those people, strutting around like big shots, thinking you are not important. You are important. Go see my baby, born of Mary, given for love of you.’
We went. We saw. We breathe new air now; we see the world much differently. Oh, we still get bored and depressed sometimes, but it doesn’t last so long; we don’t stay down. We’ve seen the gift of a loving God. We’ve heard his song of joy for us.
We’ll pray for you. We promise, all of us. We’ll pray to God our father that he will bring you to such a personal experience of his love that no put-downs from other people, no dullness of routine, no bouts with depression-nothing can ever take away your song of joy… and your certainty of
Love, in Christ,
The Shepherds”