 Fr.
Tom's Tomes December 25, 2005
Merry Christmas to all! Christmas is the birthday of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the Incarnation which means God became man for our salvation. Christmas is a time when many families hope for peace within their families and a time of love and sharing. Christmas Day brings about a time of quietness within our world so families may be with each other to share the love of God with one another. For four weeks we have been preparing for Christmas. In Church we have been waiting for this day to come. Our Church invites us to begin to celebrate the Christmas Season now. For the next couple of weeks at Mass we will be singing Christmas songs and carols. We will be remembering the birth of Jesus. Our culture on the other hand will be swiftly taking down Christmas trees and Christmas decorations and will be turning their attention to the next civil celebration which is Valentine’s day. By next week this time you will not know that Christmas just was. The struggle we have between culture and our faith is to remember Christmas is not just the parties and events before Christmas day. Christmas is the realization Jesus came to fulfill God’s promise to people that a Savior was to come. Our faith leads us to reflect upon this most holy event in which God sent Jesus to save us from our sins. The greatest gift we can receive is the gift of life and salvation. With all of the other gifts we have received the best one is the one we can not see. It is the gift of Jesus’ salvation. Christmas is the invitation not to allow the peace and love we celebrate this day to fade. It is a time to make a commitment in our lives and families to keep giving the love of God we have in our hearts to one another throughout the entire new year. If families could continue to share the peace and kindness they feel towards each other throughout the whole year there would be a change in the world. I would invite you to come and share in the celebrations of Masses this coming week. Mass is a great opportunity to pray to God. It is a time not only of individual prayer but also of communal prayer. It may be a little difficult to make Mass at 7:30 in the morning but God will bless you for your presence at Mass. Next weekend we will celebrate New Year’s. New Year’s is a time of making resolutions to follow. I would like to ask each parishioner to think about what kind of a resolution you may choose to make to improve your spiritual life. Very often the resolutions we make are broken very quickly. Our spiritual lives all need help and assistance. Take some time this week to think about where you would like to do better in your life and then to follow through on it. May the Spirit of Peace this Christmas permeate your home this week. |