By the time I made it home from Mass, I learned from my sister Kerry that the plan to have Christmas brunch at Cindy’s house had changed. Same time, different place. “Bring what you were assigned to bring – we’re having Christmas at the hospital.” And so we did – all 20 of us! When we arrived at the hospital, the doctors hadn't yet figured out what was going on with Brian, so Brian was confined to his room. We set up the food in the children’s play area down the hall and took turns rotating between the play room and Brian’s room. Whenever we entered Brian’s room, everyone had to scrub up to our elbows and don hospital gowns, masks and gloves. Everyone, that is, except for Brian and his immediate family (apparently, Brian had already been exposed to enough of their cooties). They seemed to take unusual delight in watching the rest us struggle to distinguish a head hole from a sleeve in the less-than-hospitable hospital gowns. I don’t think I've ever been so clean and well-wrapped in my life. I felt like an Egyptian Pharaoh being prepared for the afterlife.
Did I mention that it was wonderful? Brian had a smile on his face all afternoon as he played Legos and iPod games with his brother and cousins. Brian chuckled at his favorite Uncle Mike, who tried to convince him that he had saved his life by plugging in the IV pump when the low battery light went on (he’ll appreciate my quick thinking under pressure when he’s older). We mingled; we ate; we told stories; and we laughed, especially at Mom's reaction to seeing What Does the Fox Say? on YouTube for the first time. We were warmly welcomed by the Santa hat-adorned Goryeb Children’s Hospital staff, who thanked us effusively for sharing our Christmas feast with them. We learned that Santa was waiting for Brian in the Emergency Room when he was admitted last night, and that he woke to find two huge bags of gifts donated by Santa’s most generous hospital elves. Brian was surrounded by a lot of loving and caring people, and it was wonderful.
Then it hit me. This is what Christmas is all about – being there for each other. On Christmas, we celebrate the Incarnation of the Lord, the day that God humbled himself to share in our humanity. God became man to be with us. In our sickness, in our health, in our sorrow, in our joy, in our mourning and in our laughing, God is with us, with everyone, everywhere, all the time. And God invites us to share in his divine life by being there for each other – visiting the sick, the imprisoned and the lonely; comforting those who mourn. God calls on us to be with each other physically and spiritually through the ministry of presence and the ministry of prayer. Our presence and our prayer coupled with the power of God can help make a wonderful, life-affirming experience out of any bad situation. Now that’s something I can preach about.
This past year has been tough on our family and friends. Too many have been sick; too many have suffered loss. I prayed to the Christ child for all of them today. I prayed that they may know that through the Incarnation, God understands and shares in their suffering. I prayed that they’ll know that God is always with them; and I prayed that they’ll know that I'm with them too.
I attach, below, what may well be my favorite family Christmas picture of all time. It’s my favorite not only because my brother Chris’s face is covered, but because this is what Christmas is all about. Underneath those masks are a lot of toothy, ear-to-ear smiles – we’re happy to be together; we’re happy to be there. I’m blessed with a family who gets the Good News, even when the news is not always very good. Dan apologized for not being able to host Christmas in a better place, but there was no place I would've rather been. I spent Christmas with my family in the hospital . . . and it was wonderful!
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| Christmas 2013 |
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