“It was the best of times. It was the worst of times;” so begins the Charles Dickens” classic, A Tale of Two Cities. It easily could have been said of the times when Jesus was born. Judea was a vassal state of Rome. Augustus Caesar was emperor while Herod ruled ruthlessly as local king. People scrambled to make a living. Poverty was all about and sickness was common. Justice, however, was not. To make it worse, the prophets were silent. And for 400 years, the question had been,

“Where is the Messiah?” For many, it was the worst of times. For first time parents with, back to the wall debt not wall to wall carpet, sleepless nights, echoing fridges and rooms it can seem the worst of times. For others, life is pretty sweet right now. Family about, happiness abounding. For others, not so good, empty places, celebrations diminished, Christmas promising more than it delivers, the warm glow a little less bright. For even others, life is just plain sour. How do we carry on? Perhaps, somehow, somewhere, they know – it will not always be so.

But we all have reason to celebrate. Why? Gabriel gives the reason, “For nothing is impossible with God. ”Whatever you face today, it is not impossible for God – if we but say “yes.”

Glory to him who is able to give you the strength to live according to the Good News (2nd Reading)

(Comments to Tom at tomascox@eircom.net )