The Gift of Being Ridiculous

For an Advent day of service, our team spent time with nursing home residents. Early in our visit, we sang "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" to a handful of residents, most of whom seemed to be asleep. I thought to myself, "This feels ridiculous." They didn’t seem interested or entertained and I don’t blame them (despite my "O, Holy Night" solo in 7th grade, my vocals aren’t what they used to be.)　As I watched the smiles on the faces of my colleagues, I got over myself and made sure my smile was just as big. Toward the end of the song, I saw one resident begin to mouth the words and another tap his foot. Then, I noticed the care with which the religious women and aides cared for each resident, squeezing their hands and helping them dance. In that moment, it struck me that our call as Catholics and as leaders, is to be ridiculous. It is to go to the places others won’t, to do the things that seem foolish, to find any opportunity to help others regardless of who they are and to let them know that they are "loved, visited, and accompanied by God." The great feast of Christmas reminds us that God comes in the most unlikely places, at the most unlikely times. My pride almost made me miss His visit during our caroling. Hopefully, all of our stockings have a little courage to allow us to be ridiculous for Him this year.