Hidden Work of God
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Audio of Fr. Anthony’s Christmas Homily
The most widely celebrated birthday in history is that of Jesus. But when he was born, his birth was almost completely unnoticed by the world. It took several centuries for Christianity to grow before a large portion of Europe and the Middle East celebrated the birth of Christ. In the middle ages, Christmas was celebrated with boisterous street festivals. Protestants in England banned Christmas, and the Puritans who came to America continued that ban. In the middle of the 19th century Christmas began to be celebrated more in the U.S. and at the same time became commercialized. You can read more about that here.
We live in a culture of media-hyped stories. But the real heroes and most important events happen away from the spotlight where God does His hidden work. Fr. Emil Kapaun was a U.S. Catholic priest who served as an army chaplain in the Korean war. He drove in a Jeep thousands of miles to provide sacraments to the troops on the frontline. He also risked his life to rescue wounded soldiers. When he was captured, he cared for, prayed with, and inspired his fellow prisoners until his death. They loved him so much that a Jewish marine pilot spent weeks secretly carving a crucifix to be used by the soldiers in prayer after Fr. Kapaun died. That crucifix is pictured here.
The sanctity of Fr. Kapaun was formed in a hidden way as he grew up on a farm helping his immigrant parents and being taught by religious sisters in a Catholic school. Many of our parishioners are doing this work of God during the pandemic by making such important life decisions as getting married and having children. Society at large is reacting differently. Read here about the predicted upcoming COVID baby bust.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus beat in his little body in Bethlehem. When we follow Jesus in faith, doing God’s hidden work, that same heart will beat in us.