The Greatest Procession on Earth

By Paul J. Ashton, Psy.D., D.Min. 

Consultant to the VIRTUS® Programs

“Joy is the true gift of Christmas, not the expensive gifts that call for time and money. We can communicate this joy simply: with a smile, a kind gesture, a little help, forgiveness. And the joy we give will certainly come back to us… Let us pray that this presence of the liberating joy of God shines forth in our lives.”

—Pope Benedict XVI, homily, fourth Sunday of Advent 2006         

Joy comes in many forms—most of it comes in a way that does not cost money at all, just a little bit of time. For many of us, however, time is money and it is important for us to spend our time wisely. For many parents, single parents included, these uncertain economic times compound the many responsibilities and obligations that families must meet. For many parents, holding two jobs is crucial.

Finding ways to celebrate quality time with children is also crucial. As we move into the Holy time of Christmas, we get the sense that time has stopped, if even for a few hours and in those precious hours where lifetime memories are created we glow in the light of Christ that God promised to us throughout the Advent Season. The glow is enduring and is often rekindled throughout the year in small ways, in quality time spent with loved ones creating irreplaceable joyful moments.

As I write this article, the leaves have almost all fallen, All Saints and All Souls days are around the corner and the nights in Boston have turned brisk. I was walking in my neighborhood thinking about the how to incorporate a theme of joy into the article when low and behold I came across a dozen elephants marching down my street! The Circus was in town and they were parading the elephants and other animals from Cambridge where they come by train to the Boston Garden around the corner from where I live. People were following the elephants laughing and carrying on in a most joyful procession! It was wonderful to see families and children enjoying themselves in such a simple way. Of course, you only see elephants walking down your street once a year, but it was still simple. I smiled and laughed with them as I continued to walk, and as I moved further along into the back streets of my neighborhood I came upon a few men and women who were silent and still, not smiling or laughing. They were sitting on a grate outside of one of the office buildings trying to keep warm. Further up the street I came across the bright lights of a convenience store where a man approached me for money to get home on the subway. As I walked back via another route, I came across a honking taxi driver yelling expletives back to another driver of a car who evidently cut him off in traffic. So much for the joy of the elephants. Sometimes it is difficult, I soon realized, to keep the joy alive even for more than a few moments.

When I got back home to work on this article I looked at the beautiful painting I had chosen to write about and kept focusing on the powerful light emanating from the baby Jesus. I said a pray that light would fill my heart and all of the hearts of those who would read these words come Christmas. I prayed that the light would linger and last a long time and that it would be easily called upon to rekindle throughout the year when times were darkest. I was interrupted by a telephone call from a friend who is sick in the hospital—she spoke of despair and we prayed together and were soon laughing. The telephone call waiting beeped and it was another person who was feeling bad about problem with a relationship. He talked, I listened, I talked, he listened, and somehow we ended on a joyful note.

I returned to preparing the article and focused upon some information regarding a Dutch renaissance painting entitled, The Adoration of the Christ Child (circa 1515), which I was trying to write about. The unknown artist put a profound message in the context of this magnificent work—he included the images of two persons with Down syndrome among those bathing in the light of the newborn Christ. At a major exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, Dr. Andrew Levitas had made a discovery... this painting provided the earliest clear depiction of Down syndrome—rendered more than three centuries before the condition was defined by John Langdon Down in 1866.

The painting speaks to us this Christmas with the clear message that ALL of God’s children belong around the crib. The artist did not treat the child and shepherd as persons with disabilities, he included them as subjects in the painting like all the rest—there in the silent night, standing in awe of the newborn Prince of Peace.

At the Metropolitan Museum in New York you can also see a magnificent Nativity scene which includes many beautiful angels, various people from all walks of life, and animals on a procession to see the child, Jesus. Among the various types of persons in procession are many animals, including, yes of course, elephants! ALL of God’s creatures and children are drawn to the light of Christ.

I can’t help but think that included in the procession are the persons whom I mentioned earlier from the streets of Boston, all on their way to receive a blessing from the newborn King whose light is for one and all alike—no barriers, no boundaries, no restrictions, no exclusions—no one is denied. Let us joyfully join in the procession!

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