The Weaver is the three monthly magazine of our two cooperating parishes, with the news of the parishes, reflections from the parish priest, and information from the wider church.
MUSINGS BY SR JULIANA
A very religious couple was touring the Holy Land during the Christmas season to spend Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, the birth place of Jesus. Arriving there, they searched high and low for a room, but none was available at any price.Finally, they pulled up in front of the Sheraton-Bethlehem and the husband got out of the car, telling his wife: "Stay here, sweetie. Let me see if I can do something for us." He approached the desk and the clerk told him there were no rooms. No matter how much the man offered to pay, the clerk said he had nothing. Finally, the man told the clerk, "I bet if I told you my name was Joseph, that the woman waiting in the car was called Mary, and that she had a newborn infant, you'd find us a room." "Well," stammered the clerk, "I -- I suppose so." "Okay," said the man. "I guarantee you; they're not coming tonight, so we'll take their room."
As we approach Christmas, with its story of that Bethlehem night, and as I approach my leaving the parishes of Colonel Light Gdns and Edwardstown, I am thinking a great deal about doors, doors that will be closed. Doors will be closed for our parishes, as I move on after 5 years as the priest in the cooperating parishes, and seven for Edwardstown. Some people are looking anxiously at future as our parishes face the unknown. How will we get a priest? Who will be our priest? Can we afford a priest? What will she or he be like?
Likewise I am facing the closure of the door on my life as a parish priest, and return to a more balanced life as a religious sister, and a part time priest. It would be easy for me also to panic as I face many unknowns.
When Joseph and Mary had the door of the inn closed because there was no room, the door of the stable was opened. The birth of Jesus was different to what they had been expecting. But the birth in the stable is a sign to us that God in Christ, stooped down to be at one with the poorest, a sign that he shares fully our human life, in all its difficulties and changes.
Wally was a slow learner, but to everyone's surprise the teacher gave him the role of the innkeeper. The boy of course was delighted. After all, all he had to learn was one line: "There is no room in the inn." He had that down in no time. Then came the night for the program. The curtain opened on Scene One. Mary and Joseph entered the stage and walked up to the inn. "Please sir, my wife is not well. Could we have a room for the night?" Wally was ready for his line. He began, “There is…” .and he hesitated. He started over again. There is. . .and again his mind went completely blank. Poor Wally just didn't know what to do. Joseph thought he would improvise and started walking away toward the stable on stage left. Seeing him walking away Wally in desperation called out: "Look, there's plenty of room at my house, just come on home with me."
As we approach 2010, with doors closing, let us approach the future with hope, the hope that new doors will open for our parishes leading to new people, changes and as always, new opportunities. We can shut the door on the new things to come. But remember that it is Christ who knocks, offering to share in the new. Be like Wally. Open your hearts to the new, saying, “There's plenty of room at my house; just come on home with me."
Sr Juliana