(kneeling in front of the manger)

Here they all are again, right in front of us. And here we are all again. They are presented to us for our adoration and our emulation. We and the Church don’t call them “family,” we call them the “Holy Family.”

Looking over here you see “Silent Joseph” whose words are never spoken but whose dreams all come true. Thank you Joseph for listening to something more powerful than words. Can we do the same in our listenings and hearings?

Next to Joseph is the “Enriching Mrs. Cow” wondering whose milk she can nourish. Could it be that child? Whose body can her body serve through sacrifice? Thank you Mrs. Cow for the gift of your life given for others. Can we do the same?

Nearby is tiredly Mr. Donkey whose durable body carries a pregnant young girl soon to be called “mom.” Thank you, Mr. Donkey for carrying our Mother and the Savior of the world to safety. But please don’t forget to stay healthy and please call AAA for directions to Egypt. Can we carry someone, in some way, and do the same?

On top of us all roams those “Hovering Angels.” (What else do angels do except hover!?) The whole lot to them smiling down on us at our irksome, troubling and unsolvable problems that always contains a divinely inspired solution. Thank you Hovering Angels and please keep watch over us. We need all of you, especially the one we call “guardian.”

I didn’t forget her. In front of us is Mary, simply a simple name that gains stature because of what she represents and presents to us. Her divinely response is, “Yes” when our “No” would have worked. Simplicity made grandeur, humility finding peace, perseverance leading toward life’s next inch when those previous inches failed. Thank you Mary for embracing all of life’s contradictions and treasuring them within your heart. For they were all lived through you. May we live with life’s contradictions because of this one mangy manger?

And the newborn? We already know about him, or so we think – but what do we believe? Laid in a manger – a trough meant for animal food in a city whose name means “House of Bread.” The greatest of all metaphors – that grungy trough meant for animal feedings becomes for us the spiritual food to strengthen minds and hearts to live lives that mirror his.

Here they are all together again for our adoration and emulation.

The Marriott was full. They didn’t have enough points for the Bethlehem Sheraton. Uber wasn’t invited yet. And, Tom Bodett forgot to “leave the light on.”

So this mangy, meager manger scene full of unlikely characters, beasts and celestial beings gives us, never a remark like – “I promise you that” or “I hope that you,” and certainly not “good luck with that.” This simple stable scene reenacts for us each year the people we need to be, as best we can.

Who were they? Who are we? Dreamers. Nourishing people. Sharing our food with others, especially the really hungry. Able to carry someone toward the more necessary next step. Accompanied, throughout, by those inspiring heavenly winged-guides who keep us grounded in our earthily lives. Treasuring all of the stuff our lives – those “goods,” “bads,” “indifferents and especially those “forgotten that are really never forgotten” – like just Mary. No matter our age, can we awaken to a new birth, small or huge, to be our tomorrows and all our days after.

Can we do the same? We wouldn’t be here if we thought we couldn’t.