TEARS of joy and gratitude
“And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory…” – Jn 1:14
Last night at the Christmas Eve Mass, I witnessed an uncommon sight. A woman came up to receive communion in tears. I couldn’t tell if her tears were those of joy or of sorrow. Yet, I was reminded of the tears of a man I had met two weeks prior on a Casa Building Trip.
On December 10th, Enrique and his wife Luz, along with their three children and younger brother, received their new home in a poor section of Tijuana, Mexico. Enrique received his home with gentle tears streaming down his face. This is what he reflected later: “Before today, I’ve cried many tears of sorrow. I felt bad because I could not provide a good home for my family. Today, I cried tears of gratitude and joy. I’ve always been blessed with my family. Now, I am blessed with a new home, something I thought was impossible before. With this home, my family and I are blessed with a new future. I want to help others imagine a new future.”
Enrique’s gratitude and joy were contagious. He was always grateful for the gift of his family. He became joyful when he received the gift of a new home and hope for a new future. His receptivity taught me about being poor. Being poor includes not only those in need, families like Enrique’s. It also includes those who have many blessings yet have not received them as gift. Like many people in the US, I am richer in possessions but poorer in gratefulness, for I am unable to accept many blessings in life as gift, obvious or disguised.
Archbishop and Saint Oscar Romero once observed that “no one can celebrate a genuine Christmas without being truly poor.” Jesus was born poor, lived poor, and died poor. From the crib to the cross, Jesus embraced all forms of poverties we face, accompanying us, loving us, freeing us to new life, new hope. What we celebrate this Season is the promise that God is with us, suffering with us, and became poor like us - with us.
It is true that while we glimpse God’s glory this Christmas, the people in Ukraine and Syria continue to be assaulted by war. Today, a million Americans and Canadians face power outages due to intense wind, snow, and floods. Many people cannot celebrate in person with loved ones because of colds, flu, or COVID-19. Yet, at Christmas, we don’t celebrate the removal of evil or sin. We celebrate Emmanuel, Love-with-us. Joy doesn’t come right away. Our world remains infected, wounded, broken, and unjust. Our hearts remain lonely, tired, and vulnerable to pain. Perhaps the woman who came to receive Eucharist experienced both tears of joy and of sorrows, God-with-us. May we, like Enrique, celebrate a genuine Christmas by embracing our poverty and be surprised by the Christ Child who elicits our gratitude and joy.
Lord Jesus be with me where I feel poorest. Help me to encounter and love you in the poor and the vulnerable who radiates your face and your light, in joy and in sorrow.
Photo credit: David Nguen