Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to All! “What,” your thinking “Merry Christmas? Christmas is over!”

Did you take your tree down, return unwanted or ill-fitting gifts? Have you gone out shopping to spend those great gift cards or catch the sale of the year? Do you feel like all the shopping, trips to the market, hosting and attending parties, over eating and staying up late has caught up to you? Have you made all your new year’s resolutions? Have you already broken or forgotten most of them? Have you gone back to that “same ‘ol, same ‘ol routine” you had just a few weeks ago? Is your mind already into thoughts about how you will pay for the extravagant spending you just indulged in? Are you thinking about stocking up on Valentine’s Day cards and candy that already line the stores shelves? Are you gearing up and setting the dark tone for grueling days at work knowing you’ll have no days off until you accrue more time?

We are just a few days into the New Year and many of us have closed our minds to Christmas as quickly as the tree was disposed of and the decorations had been put away. Although we had the best of intentions to keep the spirit alive, already our gay spirits are waning and we feel no more renewed than last year. Our minds ignorantly or with conscious malice are already on automatic pilot reserving discouragement, rehearsing unbecoming comments, and perfecting ill attitudes to prepare ourselves for the inevitable broken promises that might include dieting or eating better, spending less money, cutting up the plastic cards, no gossiping, and being nicer to everyone no matter their attitude. Ha! That didn’t last long, what a couple of days or maybe just a few hours or as long as the beer or flavor of the month “martini” lasted?

We must not let the spirit of Christmas leave us! Taking an active part in educating ourselves and practicing daily with the Word of God as our guide is crucial so that we may be stronger people. We must believe and accept that we can live full, productive and meaningful lives when we clutch on to compassion, patience, kindness, honesty, integrity, and love shown to us by Jesus Christ.

As the days go by let us join together and continue to acknowledge our neighbors at the church, supermarket, gas station, hair dresser, and the like. More than before we can with deeper meaning say thank you and offer comforting care packages from the sincerest place in our heart to the men and women who serve our country, and be kind to worker’s who are serving us in the stores, restaurants, and businesses as a whole. We can with sincerity continue to extend wishes to all for a good day. As we extend our love day after day, courtesy in the parking lots and highways will increase and forgiveness among family and friends will become easier. We can individually, or join in groups, to pray for the sick and for those who the Lord has called. What a delight that nice warm smiles and “just because” visits will carry on. Oh, and the talk around the water cooler will be about what a wonderful thing that the supervisor did for the worker who almost lost his job, or praise about the woman who deserved the raise, and the celebration of the wonderful way we pulled together as a group to achieve success of the job at hand.

“Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!” “Hi, it’s a beautiful day to be out, isn’t it?! You enjoy it now!” “Thank you for all your help “______” (read their name tag). I appreciate your assistance.” “What a pretty child you have, she looks just like you.” “Please, go ahead of me, I insist.” “Are you sisters? It’s wonderful that you are spending time together. Have a blessed day.” “Aren’t children wonderful? Enjoy them! The years go by so quickly.” “Hello. How are you doing today? What a beautiful smile you have. Thank you for brightening up my day!” “I will pray for your loved one. God is love and so I love you.” Simple greetings, heartfelt prayers, great attitudes and sincere wishes change everything don’t they?

“Change”, it all starts with you! We shouldn’t have to wait until Christmas, New Year’s, Easter or some other specially celebrated religious or non-religious calendar day of the year to become better people.

Take the initiative yourself! Don’t wait for someone else to make the first move or offer the first nicety. Fair or unfair who cares! You be the one to begin to rebuild, reconnect and make strong the links to the fast fading broken chain of kindness. Keep that Christmas spirit alive every day of the year!

And by the way, why aren’t you still celebrating Christmas? Okay, perhaps some of you have, but what about the rest of you?

What is that? You are reminding me that it’s January and you think it’s too late to be still celebrating and wishing one and all a Merry Christmas?

Agh, actually it’s not too late. Because, right now – today – we, God’s church, are still in the midst of the Season of Christmas.

Many Christians around the world celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December and only on that day. Actually, in the church, the Christmas Season runs from Christmas until the Sunday after Epiphany or after January 6, inclusive. We may not necessarily know about the “Season of Christmas” unless we went to church everyday or on Sundays, or recall this from parochial school or catechism, possess a religious calendar, or follow a daily roman missal or daily reading via the internet.

It’s interesting to note and amazing to think that we have what seems like an endless pool of information available through the “internet”, a contemporary useful tool that allows us to obtain information through a simple string or word search. We have a responsibility to choose to make good use of our time on the internet. We can responsibly take advantage of the numerous resources and educational sites available to aid us in learning about God’s Word, the Church and ways to strengthen our faith. We must use technology responsibly – we have the tools to continue to communicate, learn and advance ourselves for the good of mankind. What incredible gifts God has given us – virtuous intellect of the mind and strong and wise will of the spirit. Let’s pray that one day we will find that God related sites will be the most popular researched sites on the web!

Perhaps, this year of all years, you have never been more tired and/or feeling less than optimistic about the future. Perhaps you are feeling tapped out on the pressures, duties, and monotonous routine of life. You may be ready to break away from the “rat race” and sit still and immerse yourself in peace and quiet. You are more than willing to release the troubles that weigh heavy on your heart. You are prepared to turn your mind over completely to hear only the whispers of serenity. This is the ideal occasion to take a new route. I’m so glad to know you are eager to get started. Let’s do it!

Find that place where you can be alone. Close your eyes until the noise is gone . . . . and then, open them again.

Can you hear the clock ticking? The creaking of the house? Do you hear the water dripping on the faucet (try not to think about the fact that you’ve got to repair it).

Breathe rhythmically in and out. Clear your mind until all thoughts about what you have to do today leave you . . . Release all the tension that is built up in your shoulders. Lift one shoulder and roll it back, then the other until you feel relaxed. . . Slowly tilt your head forward, back, side to side, and then gently around in a circle until you feel at ease . . . Place one of your palms lightly on your chest. Hold your palm in place until you feel the rhythm of your heart beat. Remain in this position and state of mind until you can recognize, hear, and move in concert with that living part of the breath of life that God has given you.

Breathe slowly and intentionally. Allow the peace to embrace and comfort you and accept the love of God as it touches you through the powerful and awe inspiring silence - His gift - the only thing you are now aware of.

Now, let God – alone - into your thoughts. Allow His presence to manifest in your heart with each breath that you take. Thank Him for this wonderful gift of peace. Welcome Him into this part of your day. Feel His goodness warm your heart and fill your spirit.

Imagine now a heavenly slide show. Put into each unblemished frame all the wonderful blessings you have received over the past weeks . . . Thank God for allowing you to visit with family members you have not seen in a long time and for getting visitors home safely. Thank Him for the gifts, cards and phone calls you received through the generosity of others and the wonderful presents you were able to give . . . Offer thanks to God for your mental health that can still feed you spiritually, and for a body that breaths of life and is proof that you are in fact a living creation and blessing of God.

Now – with faith and passion wholly offer “yourself” to God in solemn and humble prayer.

Dear Lord,

Take me your son or daughter,
a sinner, and heal me.

Forgive me for the times
I turned my back to You,
those days
I stepped away from You,
those moments
I doubted Your mercy
Or Your love for me.

Thank you Lord for blessing me
and my family with precious time together.
I invite you into my life
more fully as You,
by the grace of Your Spirit,
reveal Yourself to me now.

My heart receives your goodness
as I find my way closer to You today
and in the blessing of the days to come.

And I pray to you Jesus Christ,
that through You, I ask my heavenly Father
to give me strength to endure my present trials
and those to come with piety, dignity,
love, and tolerance.

Jesus bless me with hope for myself to imitate Your unwavering
Selflessness and touch with me your heavenly wisdom.
Open my mind and make ready my heart
to be receptive, helpful and compassionate toward others
as I learn to walk in your remarkable footsteps.

Help me Jesus to make time for honoring and praising You
every day, many times a day, as You are my Savior
who will protect me, a believer in You.

Give me strength to speak confidently and
boldly of you when opportunities arise
to my spouse, parents, children,
friends and strangers, so that they
may see my love for You and they too
will become mindful of Your presence
and may be blessed and welcoming recipients
of the love You have reserved for each of them.

Grant me the wisdom to always remember
that I must do my part to bring harmony
and live in peace among your people.
And through you I ask God for the strength
to not waiver in my confidence that
You, My God, will do all that I cannot.

It is You who faithfully provides for me
and uses my circumstances
that are good, challenging,
bearing sickness and great suffering
so that I may receive and recognize
Your Will for my existence.

It is You who arranges my life
and the lives of many to touch,
interact, build, strengthen and
make greater our spirit in your perfect time.

Jesus, I ask much in your name and ask God to have mercy on my soul.

Amen.

I can feel the unity in mind and spirit growing again my friends, Christmas is not over! It lives inside of us!

Now that we’ve got a spiritual prayer at our fingertips, let’s work on a spiritual plan. Perhaps with a little bit of Church history and some thought provoking ideas we might be better prepared for next Christmas.

Within a few days Immediately following Thanksgiving, be prepared for Advent (the four weeks that precede Christmas). It is during this preparatory time we are called to ready ourselves for the joyous day of Christmas by prayers of humble devotion and commitment. The daily masses and other solemn, mindful, and prayerful opportunities offer us time for private reflections and mediations. The churches during Advent are often decorated beautifully with wreaths and evergreen trees that symbolizes not only the birth of Christ over 2,000 years ago but also places emphasis on the new and everlasting life brought through Christ in His second coming and the hope of eternal life.

Attend more masses, or better yet be a regular Sunday attendee throughout the year. Don’t go alone, bring someone along with you! Masses are designed to give us the opportunity to remember how Christ died for us and to share in the Eucharist that reminds us of God’s gift of life and hope for our future.

Then with longing ready hearts and great anticipation - Christmas Day will arrive in all its glory! Incredibly on Christmas morning you will be present in church, together with an unusually overwhelming crowd. The church pews will again be filled to their capacity with people. However, this time, as your faith is stronger than before you will feel and exude a glorious aura of joy that will hover above the congregation and its holy allure will permeate the air that rises up into the ceiling rafters.

And finally in church or your home with perhaps a table top or life size replica of the nativity scene as described in the bible you will individually, privately and possibly publicly imagine how Christ’s birth might have looked to the world at that time, what it meant to them, and ultimately now, what His birth means to you today.

By next year you will be in a heightened spiritual place and will react differently when the priest addresses the congregation on Christmas morning, “It’s wonderful to have the church full with all of you here today. However, we do have mass every Sunday.” There will be a few light chuckles and a lot of swallowing hard and a stilling silence that will be oddly audible. But this time you will be sitting in the presence of God with a defined elevated level of faith and adoration in your heart. (FYI - we have a daily opportunity to give praise and receive “Our Lord” at communion everyday of the year. There is a mass every day in the Catholic Church –and a few hours to choose from too – who knew we could go to church on our days off, before or after work? – it’s a great way to work on a closer relationship with God, don’t you think?)

You will find that the masses during the Christmas Season are as joyous as Christmas Day as the church continues to celebrate Christ’s birth each Sunday in praise, hymns and prayer.

If you must remove your tree from your home after Christmas Day because it has become too dry for safety reasons, leave in place your nativity scene and other decorations that will remind you that Christmas is still being celebrated and that your heart may remain joyous through the day of the Epiphany celebrated in the Church.

Since Christmas Day during the Catholic Church masses we have heard many accounts of the days that preceded Christ and testimonies of those who told about the Savior’s coming, the details of the day of Christ’s humble birth, and also the special celebrations that followed. We also have the beautiful words written by John that read in part,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . “,

“And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw His glory, the glory of the Father’s only-begotten Son, full of grace and truth . . .”,

“No one has ever seen God. The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed Him.”

Heavy, moving, and life changing!

(these and other readings are available in our bibles, through the use of a “Daily Roman Missal” or could be viewed on the internet. I knew you were wondering – I’m one step ahead of ya! What are friends for?)

The common underlying thread that is prevalent in all these accounts during Christmas Season is that God’s truth was revealed about a Savior for the world and that those who have love, hope, faith, and believe in Jesus will become children of God. “As proof that you are children, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.” Gal. 4:6-7. We have been left with a legacy of powerful words. Isn’t it incredible to know you are a part of God’s great Kingdom!

In our modern times there are very few testimonies recorded that compare to the life changing accounts written in the bible. However, people do have personal stories about how God has touched their lives. It is only through a close daily relationship that we might be able to recognize God’s presence and share our own stories with others. Part of the benefit of sharing personal accounts is that we might bring hope to others through our own experiences.
We do not have to wait until the ringing in of a new year to deepen our relationship with God. Every day, with every breath and in every circumstance whether good, bad or indifferent, we have an opportunity to strengthen our relationship and understand the power of the Holy Trinity using the gifts of our mind, body and spirit. In all these things that have been afforded us by God’s grace let us use them to honor God, imitate Jesus and to live lives like the Holy Family.

Allow your faith in God to show on the outside as you respond to life’s joys, ordinary instances, and harmful inequities with actions that depict faith, righteousness, caring, and most of all unconditional love.

During these beautiful days of Christmas, and every day, let us open our hearts and allow the miracle of the Season of Christmas to change us forever.