Bishop's Column-Christmas: The greatest rescue mission

With this edition of the West Nebraska Register, I wanted to take this opportunity to wish each of you, and all who are dear to you, a Blessed Christmas season! May the joy of that Holy Night in Bethlehem, which filled the hearts of Mary and Joseph, and the shepherds who came to see the baby Jesus lying in the manger, warm your hearts with ever greater faith, fervent hope and true love for God this Christmas!     It is my great hope that our celebration of Christmas this year will be something more than simply routine. The routine of shopping, sending cards, baking and decorating all enrich the beauty of this joyful season. At the same time, it is my hope that beyond the externals, we might internalize ‘the reason for the season.’     Let us reflect, for a moment, on the meaning of Christmas. The Bible begins with the Book of Genesis and the story of creation. In the creation narrative we note that all that God had created was good.  After God created the light and the darkness, the land and the sea, the plants and various animals, he created man and woman in his own image and likeness. In all that God created there was an original harmony, until the fall of Adam and Eve. With original sin (freely choosing against God’s will), that harmony was disrupted and death entered the world, and with death, the inclination to sin and selfishness.     Yet, in that moment, God also promised to send a savior to rescue us. Throughout the history of Israel, the Jewish people anticipated the coming of the Messiah, one who would save them. Over the course of time many began to think the Messiah would be a King, more of a political ruler who would restore Israel to greatness. Thus, when our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was born in the most humble circumstances in Bethlehem, they did not recognize him. When Jesus began his public ministry many were drawn to Jesus by his preaching, yet some were unable to see in him the promised Savior.     In our Creed we profess to believe that “for us and for our salvation he came down from heaven.” It is this simple, yet profound truth, that I would like all of us to reflect upon this Christmas. If the very name Jesus, in Hebrew, means “one who will save his people from their sins,” then we might describe the meaning of Christmas as a “rescue mission.” And given that the rescue is nothing less than our eternal salvation, it is actually the “greatest rescue mission” ever carried out on this earth!     This Christmas is a great opportunity to reflect upon how you, personally, have been rescued by Jesus who “for us and for our salvation” came down from heaven. If the rescue promised to Adam and Eve, and to the rest of us, has to do with repentance and the forgiveness of sins, then have you allowed Jesus to find you there—imprisoned in your worst sins, locked in your greatest shame, discouraged and hopeless—and have you allowed him to rescue you from all of that? Christmas marks the beginning of our own personal rescue mission! Jesus came to break the gates of hell in which sin locks us in our own hellishness! Christmas will be anything but routine for us this year if we each take some time to consider this great rescue mission and apply it to our own story.     Once we recognize the gift of mercy and forgiveness in Jesus who came to rescue us, then it is up to us to accept it, to receive it, to abide in it and to rejoice in it. Minor in comparison to this would be the experience of being rescued from a burning building, or from being trapped in the wreckage of an automobile. Why? Because, the rescue of Jesus from our sin and shame has eternal consequences! This rescue not only frees us from the shame of sin, it restores to us the original dignity of being sons and daughters of God! This rescue restores to us a right to the inheritance of eternal life! It is essential that we get this notion of being personally rescued from the eternal fires of hell deep in our hearts and minds!           Now, the more we come to appreciate the great rescue mission our Lord took up for us, the more we will experience a passion for him to rescue others! This is the mark of a true disciple of Jesus. We don’t go to Mass on Sunday because “we’re supposed to!” We become disciples of Jesus because he first loved us and came to rescue us from our sins and from a sterile routine Christianity. When we allow ourselves to experience the deep and personal love of Jesus, born in Bethlehem, who would one day suffer and die out of intense and personal love for us, and be raised up in glory—the gratitude of our hearts wants to bring this GOOD NEWS to others.     This is what it means to be a disciple—to cooperate with the rescue mission of Jesus for us personally, and then become engaged in the work that our Lord entrusted to his Church to rescue others.       So if this Advent season for you has become all too preoccupied with the externals of Christmas, take some time to break from the routine. Consider how you figure into the greatest rescue mission the world has ever known. Allow yourself to be rescued by our Lord Jesus this Christmas. Then, make it your firm resolution to live as a disciple of Jesus, engaged in the rescue of others by living and sharing your rescue story with them!     Know of my sincere prayers for all in our diocese this Christmas: active Catholics, inactive Catholics, our non-Catholic brothers and sisters and all who are struggling in their faith.     Merry Christmas!