By Father Garrett Braun
From Fields Afar
This Christmas marked a new experience in my life – celebrating the Nativity of our Savior not only not at home, but abroad, in Italy. While much of Advent felt as it always has since my priestly ordination: the hustle and chaos of Christmas parties, gift shopping and a “quickening” of the liturgical season; Christmas itself felt different than it has in the past. This difference gave me greater appreciation and understanding of how the sacrifices military members make to serve our nation.
When our Nativity liturgies and fellowships were over, I was straight off to a family’s home for a truly Italian Christmas dinner. The lunch that followed was a 4.5-hour feast of epic proportions and several main courses – sliced meats and cheeses, homemade lasagna, bacon-wrapped chicken, sausages, meatballs, potatoes, pheasant, wine, limoncello cake and of course … espresso “baptized” with grappa as a finisher. Our cooks/hosts, a retired AF Chief Master Sergeant who married an Italian “local national” and stayed in Italy, are the do-everything-backbone-of-your-parish kind of family who are in truth the key to every priest’s success. At one point, the husband quietly confessed to me that his wife had stayed up late for three nights in a row preparing the various courses and was still worried there wouldn’t be enough food. When we finally finished, they sent the other guests and me home with leftovers and a bottle of wine each in thanksgiving for us giving up our time to spend Christmas day with them.
Though overjoyed with gratitude for their hospitality, I was exhausted and grateful to return to the inner sanctum of my living room. I collapsed on the couch for a time to do nothing but watch the twinkling of my battery-powered lights on my two-foot Christmas tree. Unexpectedly I found myself with the chance to reflect on how much my life has changed in this calendar year and how grateful for all that God had done in my life. I said goodbye to a parish family I loved, entered active duty, moved to Italy and was adopted by a new parish family that I also love. And now, instead of sprawling on my parent’s or grandma’s or one of my sister’s couches I was somehow at home in small-town northern Italy. As good of a day as I had, I did find myself missing family a bit and agreeing with Dorothy who put it best in “The Wizard of Oz”– “There’s no place like home.”
Finally, I thought of all the Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Marines for whom Christmas away from home has been the norm year in and year out. I thought of Airmen stuck in their dorm rooms on base who didn’t have any place to spend this Christmas day or any kind of special meal other than what the dining hall served them. Most of all I thought of those who didn’t live the superabundant joy of worshipping the true King at Christmas Mass, and those who still don’t know his mercy. We must pray, love and share Jesus with the world! In time, I remembered to put the infant Christ into my own Nativity set, and I thanked the Father for sending his Son for me.
Father Garrett Braun is currently on a temporary release to the Archdiocese for the Military Services to fulfill his five-year minimum commitment as an active duty chaplain in the United States Air Force. He will share monthly reflections through this column. He can be reached at gbraun@evdio.org.