HOPE IN THE NEW YEAR

“Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.’ When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt I called My Son.’ Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts…” (Mt 2:13-15)

What a year this has been, when so many biblical events have been re-presented to us, by modern-day Herods and the wars they have ignited against civilian populations, – their own populations and that of their neighbors. In the Holy Land, Hamas’s sadistic aggression against innocent Israeli civilians is now unleashed on its own people, used as human shields both physically and symbolically (in Hamas’s information-war against Israel), to protect their criminal leadership. One wishes the civilian population could flee to Egypt, as did Joseph with the young Child and His mother, but today Egypt closes its doors to them. And in Ukraine, just yesterday when the Russian military bombed a maternity ward, educational facilities, a shopping mall, 45 multi-story residential buildings, private houses and 2 churches, along with critical civilian and energy infrastructure, 30 civilians were killed and at least 160 more were injured. Predictably, Kremlin mouthpieces blame the victim, claiming it is not their missiles but the Ukrainian air defense system that shoots them down, that caused these casualties.

Is this a time to sink into depression or indifference, or to lose faith? No. That is what the Herods of this world want us to do, but that is not what we are called to do, ever. The biblical “story” of Christ’s birth into our world, in the flesh, did lead to “great light” pouring out on people who had “walked in darkness” and “dwelt in the land of the shadow of death.” (Is 9:2) But there was lots of darkness and death before that, through which “a great cloud of witnesses” walked in faith, as the author of Hebrews reminds us.

As we approach the new year, my friends, “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebr 12:1-2) Let us take care of ourselves and one another today, fostering our own faith, hope, gratitude, and joy, turning away from fear, hopelessness, and anger, so we can be vessels of light at the end of this year, and in the upcoming one.