As we prepare to observe the Incarnation of the Son of God, Part II

This song came out in 1984. I was eighteen and just out of high school. In my youthful idealism I desperately wanted to make a difference for the better in the world. I remember being moved when I first saw this video on MTV, seeing and hearing the artists whose music has dramatically helped shape who I am participating in this act of solidarity. Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats has continued his work, which culminated in Live 8 this past year. I have to admit to being moved again this evening while watching it with my two lovely daughters. I was especially moved when heard the lyrics: "And there won't be snow in Africa this Christmastime/The greatest gift they'll get this year is life/Where nothing every grows/No rain or rivers flow/Do they know it's Christmastime at all?".

In addition to nostalgia for some of us, I hope watching has the effect of causing us to pause for a few moments this Christmas, which, in the U.S.A., is a consumeristic orgy, and reflect on the inequities and injustices in the world, like the recent immigration crack-down, which hit close to home and what we can do about them. If nothing else remember that ""There's a world outside your window/And it's a world of dread and fear/Where the only water flowing is the bitter sting of tears. In the words of a very young Bono Vox (Latin for good voice) "Tonight thank God it's them instead of you" Remember disciple, where much is given, much is expected (Lk 12,48). From the Catholic Deacon archives: Fiat Panis=Let There Be Bread