We Need Kids at Christmas

Kids . . .

It dawned on me over Christmas how much we love and need children.

We are, of course, focused on the baby Jesus, the Holy Infant of Bethlehem, the newborn Savior of the world, as the Christmas season enchants us.

Then I see the children at Mass, in new Christmas clothes, hugged by parents.

At homes we adults sit around and just watch and smile as the kids play and take over the house.

Young couples tell me at the baptism of their new baby how their lives are now transformed, with a whole new center and focus, no longer self-centered, but “baby-centered.”

We of the Church are obsessed with our families, our schools, or programs of religious education, baptism, first confession, and first communion, sports and events, all for our children.

And, while all tragedy moves us, when a baby is involved or hurt, we shake our heads in disbelief a bit more vigorously.

No wonder God the Father sent His Son as a baby, the literal center of history, hoping that we would finally pay attention, at least smile in wonder at God’s surprise, want to hold the infant and make Him the focus of our lives.

This child, too, would be threatened, by an oppressive tyrant named Herod, forcing Him and his parents, Mary and Joseph, into exile as refugees in Egypt, as we recalled yesterday, the feast of the Holy Innocents.

Yes, we love babies and children . . . which is why we worry:

We are concerned when their very life in the womb of their mother is unprotected and in jeopardy through abortion on demand;

We are upset when birthrates go way down, threatening cultures, nations, and even future financial security;

We worry when babies are deprived of the presence of a loving mom and dad, because they’re born outside of marriage, or because Mom or Dad must “drop them off” with somebody else when they’re still so tiny, lest they lose their job or much-needed income.

We cringe when babies are raised in shelters, or lack proper nourishment, water and medicine.

We worry when couples seem allergic to having children, or when others “pick and choose” from a menu of embryos artificially manufactured.

Christianity began with the birth of a baby in Bethlehem.

Civilization began when we started placing our babies and children first, focusing on them, loving them, protecting them.

A country is great when our national drive is to see that our children have even more opportunities than we do.

A family is formed when a husband and wife become a dad and mom.

As Pope Saint John Paul II remarked, “The greatest gift parents can give their child is a brother or a sister.”

Or, as Pope Saint Francis observed, “We’re in trouble when a couple prefers pet dogs instead of a baby.”

Civilization halts when a baby is looked upon as a threat, a problem, a commodity, or a convenience.

At the middle of all history is the birth of a baby, whose name means “God saves.”

God still saves us through our babies . . .

A blessed Christmas season!