December 2019 Message
Happy December! It’s a busy time for many, as the four Advent
Sundays prepare us for the birth of the Christ child. Already some
of you have rung the Salvation Army bell, in hopes of encouraging
people to give to the ‘red kettle’. Charities the world over
are asking for your donations to support their work. In the midst of
the hustle and bustle, please be attentive to those around you –
family, friends or even strangers – who may not be feeling the
‘cheer’ that our culture seems to demand.
Not everyone LOVES Christmas, and for some, the incessant message of
over-the-top joy only serves to remind them that their lives do not
match up! If we pay attention, we might be able to add some
‘cheer’ to another life by simply being present. Slowing down to
listen; sharing a cup of coffee; perhaps bringing some cookies to the
neighbor we have not seen for a while, all serve the needs of
others. There are countless ways to ‘be present’ – and what a
‘present’ this can be!
The gift of the Christ child is exactly this – _a renewed
willingness to give ourselves away for the sake of others, because of
Jesus. _
So while you are thinking about all you have to do, or who will visit
at the holidays, or what in the world you should get for those lovely
grandkids … think also about how you might share Jesus’ love with
the _less visible people around you_. This Franciscan prayer says it
beautifully:
_O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled,
as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to
love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we
are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”
Amen. _
Blessings for your Advent preparation … Pr. Rita