The Gospel in Solentiname By Cardenal, Ernesto Read preview
Article excerpt The Shepherds of Bethlehem (Luke 2:8-20) Near Bethlehem there were some shepherds who were spending the night in the field, watching over their sheep. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and the glory of the Lord shone round them: and they were very frightened. But the angel said to them, "Don't be afraid, for I bring you good news that will be cause for much joy for all." We were gathered in the little church. The first to speak was old Tomas Pena, with his customary wonderful simplicity: "The way I see it is that those guys who were watching over their sheep heard good news. There they were just like us here, and they heard good news. Like when we heard that you were coming. They told us that a priest was coming and we couldn't believe it at first, because no priest ever used to come here.... Well, it was like this when they were watching over their sheep and they heard good news. They were sad before. They weren't at a party. They were just screwed up." "And why were they the ones to get the good news?" I asked. Tomas Pena: "Because they were closer to God. Others were thinking about bad things, and not good things. That's how it seems to me." Patrico: "They were closer to God because they were there at night keeping watch, and since they wwere keeping watch God wanted to send them good news. It seems to me that thaths the way it might have been." Felipe: "The angel came to them because they were working men, and I find this is very important for us. Because they were poor little people who were working. They were watching over their sheep which is like taking care of cattle today. They were workers, laborers, poor people. The angel of God could have gone to the king's palace and said to him: 'The Savior has been born.' But the angel didn't go where the king was but where the poor people were, which means that this message is not for the big shots but for the poor little guys, which means the oppressed, which means us." I: "It was really the shepherds who were at the bottom of the social scale in Israel...." Alejandro: "And the good news is that theyhre going to find somebody just like themselves, a poor guy wrapped in swaddling clothes." Today was born in the city of David a Savior for you, who is Christ the Lord.