No Room at the Inn

Our Priest read this to us last night at mass
I'd like to share it with you

No Room at the Inn

As we all know, there was no place at the inn for Joseph and his pregnant wife, and the baby Jesus was born in a manger. "And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room at the inn." (Luke 2:7)

But have you heard the story of the Christmas pageant at New York City’s Riverside Church? A little boy named Tim was thrilled to be in the pageant. Because he had Down’s syndrome, he was given the role of innkeeper because it had just one line; “There is no room at the inn.” Tim practiced and practiced but after delivering his line and watching Joseph turn despondently to walk away, Tim yelled “Wait. You can stay at my house.” The Pastor of Riverside Church called it the best sermon he never preached.

There was no room at the inn, so Mary and Joseph found shelter where they could. Two thousand years later, the homeless of Massachusetts are having to do the same. There are more than 1,000 families with more than 1,500 children living in crowded hotel rooms without cooking facilities. The family shelters are all full.

After hearing the story of Tim and the Riverside Church pageant, Marian Wright Edelman from the Children’s Defense Fund stated: When will we as communities, and as a nation resolve to stop saying to our children, "There's no room at the inn"? When will we, like Tim, start saying, "You can stay at my house"? When will we say to poor, hungry and homeless children, "Wait! We'll make a place for you at America's table of plenty"? How long until we say to children whose parents are working hard every day trying to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads, "We will help you escape poverty"? "We'll catch you in our safety net until your family is able to provide for you again"?

Someone has well said: The message of Easter is "Think of Heaven." The message of July Fourth is "Think of our Nation." The message of Thanksgiving is "Think of your blessings." The message of New Year's Day is "Think of the passing of time.'' But the message of Christmas is "Think of others."

So as we celebrate the seasons of Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, and Kwanzaa, we must reaffirm our commitment to building a world where all find room at the Inn