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As another year draws to an end, let us pause before the manger and express our gratitude to God for all the signs of his generosity in our life and our history.

Today give thanks for the family that you have; say a prayer for the changes you would like to see.

Looking to the margins is often where we’ll be surprised by a glimpse of God. We become too familiar with the main players in the Gospels. We expect Jesus, Mary, and Joseph to be exemplary role models. But for the Christian message to take root, there must have been hundreds, even thousands, among the early followers of Jesus to live the life he exemplified, to witness to his words with their deeds. Sometimes seeing someone else offering their service to another person in need is all we need to spark our own mercy and generosity. We think, “That doesn’t seem so hard.

There’s something precious about watching young children experience the joy and wonder of the lights and decorations and presents under the tree. But Pope Francis does well to remind us that not all children experience these things that so many of us take for granted. Often we can’t even imagine how terrible life is for these children. This is the challenge of the Gospel, the challenge of Jesus. That challenge doesn’t go away because it’s Christmas. We don’t get a break from the reality of suffering and violence in our world. To hide our faces is to compound our guilt.