A Christmas Welcome Mat

                  by  Rev. Leonard N. Peterson

                  The best pastor I ever served under was blest with an authentic graciousness paired with genuine wit and a touch of class.  He went to God many years ago, but I still remember some spontaneous remarks he made to a packed church on Christmas Eve a little before Mass was to begin.  He looked out at the crowd and said, for starters, "I guess I'll have to build a bigger church!"  The people laughed.  But then he added this:  "Please know that you're always welcome here at our parish.  Christ's embrace is wide enough for all of us."  The people clapped.  I thought of that long ago memory as I sat down to write this piece as we come to Christmas 2013.
                 "Welcome" is a key word expressed so beautifully in action as well as in the words of our present Holy Father, Pope Francis.  You see it in his eyes.  You practically feel it in his gestures, as he motors around St. Peter's Square in Rome.  Perhaps you also saw it in the pictures from last summer, as he warmly greeted the young people gathered for World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro.  The "wattage" of his smile intensified as he made a special side trip to a drug-infested ghetto of the poor.  Most poignant of all is his embrace of the disabled of all ages.  Welcome indeed!
                 But at Christmas time there are many good people for whom the whole Church adds a word to "welcome."  She says "Welcome back!"  She addresses that especially to all those who, for a variety of reasons, may have drifted away from the altar.  Their absence (perhaps your absence) is, in many cases, completely understandable as well as entirely regrettable.
                 Hurts happen.  Misunderstandings multiply.  Even the Church herself is mindful that scandal (of which she has endured severqal lately) can sear a sensitive soul with pain, confusion, and doubt.
                 But bear in mind that while we believe that the Church and Christ are forever united, the human element that Christ works through has inherent flaws just by being human.  After all, a wise somebody once quipped that "if the Church were perfect, none of us could belong!"  Just taking a quick look at our Church's pilgrimage through the centuries should offer proof that the Holy Spirit has had to be at her helm.
                 Sadly, we do not have many pictures of Christ shown smiling.  True, He was a "Man of Sorrows", as Handel's "Messiah" reminds us in that magnificent oratorio that is a musical feature of the Christmas season.  But even there the composer gives us the "Hallelujah" chorus for balance.
                 I am convinced that Christ does smile especially beautifully when someone who has been away comes back.  Especially when they decide to stay by His side no matter what as members of His Church.  There may not be a "Welcome" sign on the lawn, or a mat at the doors of the church in your part of the world.  But please note that the Child in the Crib has His arms out, ready to embrace.  And if you listen closely, not with your ears but with your heart, you will hear Him say "Come to Me."  I for one believe in my heart that He will be smiling.
                A blessed Christmas to you and yours!