The Holy Night ~ 1911

Fritz von Uhde depicted the birth of Jesus (or surrounding events) a number of times. This birthing room appears to be an old barn or someone's cluttered garage. Mary and Joseph are not romanticized in any way. Young Mary, who is absorbed with her newborn, wears pigtails instead of a sky blue veil. And Joseph, who is stirring something hot for Mary, is wearing pants and has an old jacket thrown over his shoulders. But best of all, I love the artist's imagination—there being no table, Joseph has turned over an old wooden wheelbarrow. It works, doesn't it? The poor often know how to make do.

"Take courage, do not lose confidence, do not lose hope, do not think that to love is a waste of time! Tonight love has conquered fear, new hope has arrived. God's kindly light has overcome the darkness of human arrogance. Mankind, God loves you; for your sake he became human. You are no longer alone!   Christmas Eve Homily of the Holy Father Francis, 2019

Christmas Eve ~ 1890

  

This painting was first given the title, Winter Landscape. For whatever his reasons, the artist then renamed it Christmas Eve. He seems to have added a very thin halo over Mary's head, just to be sure we know who this is — pregnant, exhausted and alone, leaning against the fence, her feet in snow.

But follow the footprints and Mary's gaze up into the left corner. This is Joseph, who has not abandoned Mary in desolation but gone looking for a place where they can safely spend the night. Has he already been to the building piled with snow at the top of the road? Was he rejected there, or was no one home? And so he has gone off to the next place, trudging through snow, a walking stick in his left hand, a sack over his shoulder. Mary is holding a bundle as well. It is not a romantic scene but one of hardship. I can feel the raw night air and the fear that can come with standing alone outside in darkness.

But what are we doing with a Christmas painting at the start of Lent? I think Fritz von Uhde's picture is one of patience. God is so patient with us. And Jesus was born of Mary and Joseph's patience. We all wish we were more patient. That can be a conscious Lenten effort.

Some weeks ago at Mass we heard St. Paul's Letter to the Corinthians where he wrote simply, "Love is patient." Soon after, a friend sent an email with a pastor's prayerful reflections on those three words. It's worth thinking about these first days of Lent.

You're a patient lover, Lord:

  you wait for me, you never give up on me;

  you endure my foolishness even when I turn away from you;

  you suffer for my sake and freely bear my burdens...

I've done nothing to deserve your patient love:

  I waste it, I turn from it,

  I deny and reject it,

but even then, patiently,

  you wait for my heart to change,

  you endure my slow progress,

  and you suffer my self-pity

all because your love for me is patient

  - and you will not let me go...

And you ask me, Lord, to love my neighbor,

  my sister and my brother, the stranger

with the same patience

  with which you love me...

Keep me from the quick and hasty judgment, Lord;

  let me judge others as I'd have them judge me:

    patiently... and with justice and mercy...

Curb my sharp tongue and give me patience in my speech;

  let no harsh words fly from my mouth to wound

    the innocence of others...

Give me patience in understanding those who are not like me

  and help me see in the differences

what, in others, complements and completes me

  — and them and all of us together...

Give me the patience I need, Lord, to move among others

  with gentleness, reverence and respect,

careful not to step on others' hearts, letting others go before me

  tending others' needs before tending to my own...

Give me patience, Lord, with those I live and work with,

  the ones I take for granted or ignore

  the ones I so often and easily forget

    in my rush to get what I want, when I want it...

Give me patience with strangers, Lord,

  those I meet in the course of every day:

help me respect and love them, Lord,

  as patiently as you love me...

And give me patience with myself, Lord,

  when I'm quick to judge, to doubt, abuse and hate myself.

Remind me of the mercy you offer me,

  your trust in the person you made me to be,

  your gentle touch upon my wounds and pain,

  your mercy, in which you never fail to bathe me...

Forgive and heal me, Lord,

  when my lack of patience leads to anger and judgment,

  harsh words or silence,  jealously or self-pity,

when my impatience spirals into doubt and fear,

  calm my anxious heart with the patient grace of your heart

and hold me in your mercy

  until your patience heals my soul

  and cleanses me in peace...

A Concord Pastor Comments  1-30-21

Intercessions ~ First Sunday of Lent

Zarvanytsia Mother of God ~ Ukraine

May those who hold the destiny of the world in their hands/ be people of light and life./ May they be reconciling healers,/ stable,/ godly people of good conscience and generous spirit./ We pray to the Lord.

May we be delivered from thinking/ that our national greatness is determined by our capacity to destroy others./ We pray to the Lord.

Tuesday is International Women's Day./ We pray for the women of Ukraine and in every place where women struggle against great odds to safeguard their families./ We pray for women whose gifts have not yet been fully valued and encouraged./ For the young girls of the world to be welcomed and loved./ We pray to the Lord.

During wars the earth itself is abused./ There are new bombs that suck the oxygen out of the air to expand the blast,/ the soil and air are filled with poisons,/ trees and fields are burned,/ animals are displaced and killed,/ earth's resources are wasted./ May God forgive and correct our terribly wrong thinking./ We pray to the Lord.

The Dali Lama,/ the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism,/ has said, "War it outdated."/ May we learn finally,/ after the devastating wars of the last century,/ how to talk to each other,/ to solve problems and address concerns./ We pray to the Lord.

We pray for the one million refugees who have fled Ukraine this week./ They are mostly women and children./ For those who cannot leave:/ the poor,/ the sick,/ the elderly,/ the homeless./ We pray for the many hundreds who have died — mindful that even little children and teenagers have lost their lives./ Deliver us from the evil and sin of war./ We pray to the Lord.

Lent is called the Church's Springtime./ May we grow into the mind of Christ:/ Roman Catholic,/ Protestant,/ Orthodox./  Wars perpetrated by Christians reveal a great shame./ May we be delivered and converted./ We pray to the Lord.