*Note: Today’s Gospel selection is the reading for the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas) Mass at Dawn

The wisdom of Jesus is uplifting, soul feeding, awesome, enduring.

We live in a world where everyone is chasing frantically after things that aren't worth having, and yet hesitant, even resistant to pursue what matters most. Welcome to Radical and Relevant, where we are exploring the enduring wisdom of Jesus' teachings in the Gospels. In today's scripture, from the second chapter of Luke's Gospel, the angels have just appeared to the shepherds and told them the good news. And the shepherds have decided to go without delay to Bethlehem. When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us." And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen as it had been told them.

I have so many magical memories from childhood on Christmas Eve. "One more sleep," my brothers would say, "There's only one more sleep until Christmas." These memories are only outdone by my own children's excitement at this time of year. And I must say, people do seem different at this time of year. How? Well, I guess they seem a little more human, more patient and kind, a little more thoughtful and considerate. The word that jumps off the page at me in today's reading is haste. We saw it before in Mary's heading off to serve Elizabeth with all haste. And now we see it again with the shepherds heading for Bethlehem. They went with haste, the Scriptures tell us.

This holy urgency is something we could all use a little more of. We find it easy to be in a hurry for the things of this world, for pleasures, for trivialities. But we drag our feet when it comes to the things that matter most. What is God inviting you to pursue with holy urgency this Christmas season? The idea that struck me in the reading today was that of angels. The angels play a crucial role throughout the history of salvation, and we see them appearing in many of the crucial events throughout the Old and the New Testament. As a child, I was taught to pray to my guardian angel each and every morning. A simple prayer, one I suspect many of us were taught. I still find myself calling on the angels at different times. Their power is extraordinary, and I can use all the help I can get sometimes.

When was the last time you prayed to your guardian angel? What role do you invite the angels to play in your life? Do you ask them to help and protect you? Do you ask them to guide and protect your children when you send them off for the day? And the phrase that never ceases to inspire me here is Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart. We spoke about this a few days ago. What blessings has God bestowed on you that you delight in pondering? It could be something that happened last week. It could be something that happened 40 years ago. But it is important to ponder these things in the quiet of our hearts. There is so little privacy in the world today, but our hearts remain a private place where we can commune with God and self, a place where we can establish a peace so that we can take that peace out into the world. And as St. Francis of Assisi eloquently prayed, become instruments of God's peace in the world.

And today's virtue, obedience. What does it mean to do as you're told? Well, sort of. But that is the very least it means. And it depends on who is doing the telling, I suppose. But the word obedience is drawn from the Latin word, which means to listen deeply, to listen deeply. This Christmas season, may we all be blessed with a new desire to listen deeply to the voice of God in our lives. May we all be blessed with the grace and the courage to follow wherever God leads. The gospel of Jesus Christ is as radical and relevant today as ever before. So go out into the world today and astonish people with your goodness. And remember, don't just be yourself. Be the very best version of yourself, all that God created you to be.

Thank you, Ambassadors. You are changing the world. Have a great day. Bye-bye. Simon, come sit. I love you.

Have a great day.