The Best Seat in the House

                Some have accused me of becoming a Deacon so I would always have a seat in Church on Christmas and Easter.  Well, that wasn't the only reason, but I can’t deny that the Deacon’s Bench (as we call it) is, literally and figuratively, the best seat in the house.   Allow me to share a few Christmas observations from the Deacon’s Bench.

                My Christmas began with 4:00 pm Mass on Christmas Eve.  This is the most popular Mass at our Parish, so we celebrate Mass both in the Church and in the Parish Hall at the same time.  And it’s PACKED.  My very rough estimate is that we had over 700 people in the Church and over 300 in the Parish Hall.  That’s just for the first two Masses of Christmas; we had six more Masses after that.

 

Of course, many attendees are – how shall I put it? – infrequent fliers.   These Masses can be a little awkward as those unfamiliar with the new Mass parts stumble over the responses and don’t quite have the hang of the whole communion process.  I’ll admit, the infrequent fliers used to annoy me.  If you’re not going to come to Church regularly, why bother on Christmas?  But somewhere in my adulthood, well before I earned my reserved seat as a Deacon, my perspective changed.  I realized that the infrequent fliers needed Christmas Mass more than I did.  The Holy Spirit inspired them to go to Mass, so the least I could do is make a little room for them in a pew and in my heart.  Maybe they’d come back before Easter if they felt welcomed by our community.  So from my vantage point, a PACKED Church at Christmas is a symbol of hope – hope that our parish made a good impression and hope that the infrequent fliers will be back soon.

After the 4:00 pm Mass, it’s my family’s tradition to spend the evening with our neighbors.  We've become very close over the years, so it’s a nice, relaxing evening filled with Christmas revelry and a little irreverent jocularity.   OK, a lot of irreverent jocularity, but hey, it’s Christmas.  We had a great time.  We even got to see Catzilla pay homage to the Holy Family.  This observation is not the result of an imagination run wild or too much egg nog, as evidenced by the attached photo.   

Everyone needs good friends – people with whom we can be ourselves:  no fancy airs, no one upmanship; just ourselves, warts and all.  Christmas is a great time to celebrate these relationships because “relationship” is what the Incarnation is all about.  God freely chooses to be in active relationship with us.  God chose to dwell among us, to become our brother, to make sure we know that he understands us and accepts us, warts and all.  So from where I sit, Christmas brings great joy – the joy nurtured in good times with good friends; and the joy of knowing that God so loved the world that he sent his only Son.

Christmas also allowed me to minister to those who are facing tough times.  I was able to give a big hug to Jackie, who was celebrating her first Christmas without her mother; I was blessed to bring Communion to Bob and Jenn, who are facing serious illnesses; and I was asked to pray with Tom (Jenn’s husband) and the whole family as they spend their first Christmas without Tom’s father.  Ministry is immensely rewarding in so many ways, but I’d have to say that witnessing the deep faith of people like Jackie, Bob, Jenn, and Tom tops the list.  Faith is challenged most – and strengthened most – by sickness and death.  Christmas is all about faith – you either believe that God is with us, or you don’t.  The faith of those who turn to God in these most difficult times, knowing that God is with us, is inspiring, to say the least. 

What would Christmas be without spending time with family?  My day started (a little too early) opening presents with my wife and daughters, who are always so thoughtful about the gifts they give and grateful for those they receive.  We had Christmas dinner at my sister’s, with almost the whole family present.  Another relaxing, comfortable time spent with loved ones.  We all need strong family ties.  Family represents our history:  who we are; where we came from; and where we’re going.  Family gives us stability in an unstable world; family gives us peace (well, at least an inner peace, if not always an outer peace).  What better time to celebrate family than at Christmas as we welcome the Prince of Peace into our human family?  

           My Christmas observations didn't come to me exclusively in my role as a Deacon, but my perspective on them is certainly shaped by the fact that I am a Deacon.  It’s a wonderful perspective to have – one shaped by hope, joy, faith and peace.  The view from the Deacon’s Bench is a good one.  I can’t deny it; it’s the best seat in the house.