Christmas 2019
Dear Brothers and Sisters of St. Peter’s,
I grew up in Darwin, a small frontier town in Northern Australia. Darwin became its own independent diocese in 1906 but by the time of my childhood in the 80s we were only on our 2nd Bishop. The first, a rugged French missionary named, Francis Xavier Gsell (1906-1948) followed by a dry-humored Irishman named, John Patrick O’Loughlin (1949-1985). Both men, were larger than life. Growing up there was much folklore about Bishop Gsell and his missionary exploits with the indigenous people of Northern Australia. Bishop O’Loughlin, too, had the commanding presence of a remote missioner, an encyclopedic intellect, a ferocious wit and could easily put the fear of God into a young altar boy with just a glance.
And yet, my earliest vivid Christmas Eve memory is when Bishop O’Loughlin carried the baby Jesus reverently in procession down the long center aisle of our cathedral. At the head of the aisle he turned left down the transept to a side altar where the nativity scene lay ready and he gently placed the baby Jesus in the manger. Then, after the verses of the carol we were singing ran out, this larger than life, awe-inspiring man, for a few minutes, in total silence, knelt.
For the first time in my life, watching the Bishop kneel, I was touched by the mystery of Christmas. God had become a tiny baby and all we could do was kneel out of reverent and grateful homage. When I think back to that moment, I cannot but give thanks for what we have been given as sacramental Christians. As we celebrate something as big as the Incarnation of God, explanations run out. But as Episcopalians, we are drawn into the mystery of Christmas as we listen to sacred story and sing our songs of praise. We experience Christmas when we see love incarnate in the Christ child and in one another. We are thankful as we take in the sounds and smells of celebration, taste the gifts of love poured out for us, and on this great occasion of our Savior’s birth, kneel for a moment out of sheer joy!
Merry Christmas,
Fr. Michael
I grew up in Darwin, a small frontier town in Northern Australia. Darwin became its own independent diocese in 1906 but by the time of my childhood in the 80s we were only on our 2nd Bishop. The first, a rugged French missionary named, Francis Xavier Gsell (1906-1948) followed by a dry-humored Irishman named, John Patrick O’Loughlin (1949-1985). Both men, were larger than life. Growing up there was much folklore about Bishop Gsell and his missionary exploits with the indigenous people of Northern Australia. Bishop O’Loughlin, too, had the commanding presence of a remote missioner, an encyclopedic intellect, a ferocious wit and could easily put the fear of God into a young altar boy with just a glance.
And yet, my earliest vivid Christmas Eve memory is when Bishop O’Loughlin carried the baby Jesus reverently in procession down the long center aisle of our cathedral. At the head of the aisle he turned left down the transept to a side altar where the nativity scene lay ready and he gently placed the baby Jesus in the manger. Then, after the verses of the carol we were singing ran out, this larger than life, awe-inspiring man, for a few minutes, in total silence, knelt.
For the first time in my life, watching the Bishop kneel, I was touched by the mystery of Christmas. God had become a tiny baby and all we could do was kneel out of reverent and grateful homage. When I think back to that moment, I cannot but give thanks for what we have been given as sacramental Christians. As we celebrate something as big as the Incarnation of God, explanations run out. But as Episcopalians, we are drawn into the mystery of Christmas as we listen to sacred story and sing our songs of praise. We experience Christmas when we see love incarnate in the Christ child and in one another. We are thankful as we take in the sounds and smells of celebration, taste the gifts of love poured out for us, and on this great occasion of our Savior’s birth, kneel for a moment out of sheer joy!
Merry Christmas,
Fr. Michael