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The greatest gifts don’t come in packages. Sometimes a call, a visit, or a simple text to a loved one is priceless. Share this prayer with somebody who needs a lift on Christmas Eve.
The signs and bumper stickers that read “Jesus is the reason for the season” are absolutely right. All that we celebrate during this Christmas season began with that birth so many years ago in a manger in Bethlehem.
The birth of Jesus is the antidote to all of the discord we are carrying in our hearts. And it is a perfect moment for all of us to stop and reevaluate our role in the disagreements and disharmony we keep finding ourselves caught in.
Our Christmas giving is meant to symbolize God’s generosity to us. As we give our gifts–large or small–let’s be grateful that the Father gave us the greatest gift of all.
At Christmas we celebrate not just the human birth of Christ our savior, but also the ongoing relationship of an eternally loving father toward his children.
If you don’t have special times in your life that are liminal, that put the ordinary into eclipse, then you are condemned to a dull life of facts and predictability.
We might be struggling right now to see God’s plan unfolding, whether in our own lives or those of our children. But Christmas is the beginning of the ultimate happy ending.
The family connection is a strong one. And it is a blessing. As my oldest daughter, Maddie, said to her brother, Alex, once: “You have to love me, I’m your sister. You have no choice.”
Saint John of Kanty was a beloved priest in Kraków, Poland, where he taught Scripture. A simple, humble man, John was often taken advantage of, but maintained his generous attitude to those in need. He died on Christmas Eve in 1473.
As we approach the celebration of the birth of Christ at Christmas, God addresses his message of salvation to us: “Lift up your heads and see; your redemption is at hand.”
