Message For Christmas 2018 by Fr. John R. Sheehan, SJ

Merry Christmas! And welcome. I am pleased that you have come together at this most special time of the year.I have been reflecting on Christmas – and there are some thoughts I would like to share with you. Get comfortable – I have been told I talk too much. There is in our world the “Great Man” syndrome. And please – I am old enough that I still use the word “man” to include everyone in the human race, without discrimination about sex or gender or genitals or preferences – that is a whole other discussion, but for now, if I say the “Great Man,” it also means the “Great Woman.”

The Great Man is one who is held up to us as the model – the model of what we could be, the model of what we should be. For Christians it is Jesus Christ. For Muslims, it is Mohammed, blessed be his name. For Buddhists it is Buddha – and so on. The Great Man can be a religious leader, but he or she can be a corporate giant, a political icon, an academic superstar, an athlete who expands the boundaries of what the human body can do – there are many ways to become a Great Man and many kinds of Great Women we are presented with.» Read More