Intro—God became a baby.
Comedian Jim Gaffigan posted on Twitter, “My 4-year-old gave me handmade card for Father’s Day. Maybe for Christmas, I’ll draw him a picture of some toys.”
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Little Owl in the Big City is based on a true story that happened in 2020, of a Northern owl found hidden tucked away in the thick branches of a Christmas Tree chosen to be transported to the Rockefeller Center in New York City. They discovered the little owl as they were preparing the Christmas tree for all the public to see. Dorothy Day said, Christ is present in the ordinary stranger. He is disguised under every type of humanity that treads the earth.
C.S. Lewis, asks “How did God enter history? Quietly, in a forgotten corner of the Roman Empire: sneaking, as it were, behind enemy lines. Born in a stable, a place where we do not expect to find God. The angel only told the shepherds that a savior had been born and was to be found in a manger. We are like the shepherds, who were little too. They were invited to adore baby Jesus when the powerful ruling class did not know anything about the new King born in a manger.
Mary did not say, “I am not having my baby here; it only has one star.”
The Christmas star was only one star, but it was a brilliant star!
Little Owl in the Big City became a new, illustrated book published for Children ages 3-8. [in Spanish: “Pequeño búho en la gran cuidad”]. The little owl was hidden tucked away in 75-foot-tall Norway spruce for a 170-mile journey from upstate New York to the bright lights of NYC.
In the first Christmas Journey, Mary and Joseph made a four to five day 90 mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, but they traveled in peace with Jesus just like we can too when we go about our day mindful of God’s presence.
The author of the book said, “I was convinced that this was no accident” that the little owl was transported to the big city.
It was no accident that Jesus the Savior was born in little Bethlehem, as it was long ago prophesied in John 7:42 and Micah 5:2, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, …, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel…”
Bethlehem was originally called Ephratah. I know a small town called Ephrata in Washington State. Ephrata is wall-to-wall corn. Fresh, premium, Non-GMO Sweet Corn and they have really good corn pie there.
Just like the little owl, sometimes it's the little things that holds the big things together.
A small thing like a hug or a kind text message can re-energize you and turn a bad day around.
A small action like taking one small or tiny step forward towards your dream every morning is what matters the most to actually reach your goal and not get stuck in daydreams about some kind of future success.1
The little owl was there all along deep inside the Christmas tree with hundreds of people watching the tree getting put up when they discovered the little owl.
In Hebrew, El is a short form of Elohim, a name for God. Immanu-El means “God with us.” Emmanuel describes Jesus’ role or vocation. Jesus’ calling is to save his people from their sins and to manifest God’s presence. Matthew thus begins his Gospel with the promise that Jesus is God-with-us.
The author says that the little owl intended to get to the Big City to see the lights, hear the noise, and experience the excitement.
However, sometimes we suffer or go through a tough time, which is described in Psalm 102:3–6 as an owl living among the ruins of a city.
To illustrate, there was a man whose name was Lo, from China. He had been going through a really bad time. Then he heard someone quote Jesus words from Matthew 28:20, which says, “And Lo I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Saint John Paul II says, regarding this verse, “what, more than the Eucharist, confirms these words?”
Christmas means Christ’s Mass. Bethlehem means House of Bread. Sir John Betjeman wrote that God was Man in Palestine, and lives today in (consecrated) Bread and wine.
St. Ambrose noted that “every soul which receives the bread which comes down from heaven is a house of bread, the bread of Christ, being nourished and having one’s heart strengthened by the support of that heavenly bread.”
Regardless of how many no longer worship in God’s house, which is the church, you; stay under the blood; that's the place to abide. God’s presence, after receiving Holy Communion worthily, is closer to you than you are to yourself. The divine is hidden quietly inside the human. The holy is hidden in the physical and the material in the Eucharist. Jesus swaddled by the love, warmth has swaddled us in his love. The world’s best gift was wrapped in swaddling clothes and is available in Holy Communion at Mass.
Christmas is the reassurance in the flesh that God has not given up on us but will remain with us. St. Ephrem spoke of Mary, who said, “The tiny Child I carry Himself carries me.”
The hope of a girl and the hope of the world.
Owls are symbols of wisdom and intelligence. Christmas is about the greatest gift of all time—God gave us Jesus Christ, his Son, who brings great joy to everyone who receives him. The purpose of Christmas is to share this gift.
Evelyn Underhill said that, “The birth of Christ in our souls is for a purpose beyond ourselves: it is because His manifestation in the world must be through us.” The glory of Christmas came about by the willingness of ordinary people to obey God’s claim on their lives.2
God has a plan He is working in us to fulfill. He’s already written us into the script for the Last days. Find your part in His plan and do your part.3
1. Henrik Edberg, The Positivity blog, 85 It’s The Little Things, August 9, 2023
2. New Interpreter’s Bible, Alan Culpepper
3. John Rasicci, God’s Claim on our life, November 8, 2019
