To share our life, to show us how to live

It's the day after Christmas. Is there anything left aside from discarded wrapping papers, leftover food, and a hangover for some?
December 26th is also the feast of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Isn't it an irony that a day after Christmas we already celebrate martyrdom?
I think today we are reminded of the real meaning of God "coming down" and becoming man in Jesus: to share our life, to show us how to live.

Free to worship God without fear

Today's Gospel is on the Benedictus, Zechariah's prayer after the birth of his son John. We sing it every morning at Lauds. One of the lines says, "free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight, all the days of our life".
I am a Christian, and I consider it one of the biggest blessings of my life to be so.
But I am thinking, is the worship of God (any god for that matter), something natural to a human being, as natural as breathing?
I think it is.
Let me put it this way, all our decisions are based on some criteria. I think that the criterion that tops the rest is, sort of, what we consider "god" in our life.
As a Christian, I am called to more and more pattern my choices after that of Christ. No Christian perfectly embodies Christ's mind and heart. We are all on a journey of becoming better.
I think people misunderstand when they say they don't want to be enslaved by believing in God. We are already "enslaved" by something, call it God or something else. Even when we don't make decisions because we want to keep our options open, we are sort of enslaved by something; call it fear, uncertainty, a past experience.
The question is, "is this 'God' worth our loyalty?"

If Mary and Joseph didn't say yes

If Mary and Joseph didn't say yes, we wouldn't have Christmas as we know it now. Of course, God could have done it another way, but Mary and Joseph would have missed their chance to enter into this amazing story.
Surely Mary and Joseph didn't know how their decision would have huge consequences. Yes, really huge. Talk about a decision that cuts across generations and assumes global consequences.
That is also true with us. We will never know how our "yes" or our "no" affects people and history itself.
History isn't something that happens outside of us. We are all contributors to it, for better or for worse, In fact, I think it should be called "our story".

Asking questions

"Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?"
John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus with this question: "Are you the one?"
John must have been confused. His idea of messiah was somebody who would purify and eliminate what was impure and hypocritical. John was a preacher of God's wrath, so he must have felt unsure about the style of Jesus.
It is good to ask questions. Our life is a continuing journey of searching, and wise indeed is the person who doesn't think he/she has all the answers. Of course, we don't talk here of smart-alecky questions, but of persons who are sincerely in search and are willing to give up their ideas, positions, plans, even their life, once they have found the right answer.

The heart of the matter

Today is an important day in the Salesian world. We celebrate the 175th anniversary of the first meeting of Don Bosco and Bartholomew Garelli. We consider it the birth of the Salesian mission.
Yes, the Salesian mission did not start as a structure. It started as an encounter, a meeting of hearts: a young boy in search of welcome and a priest who saw a friend in that boy.
I guess it is an invitation to us all Salesians. The renewal that we need is to go back to what is essential: we are sent by God to be His heart for the young.