Next Sunday is Christmas!!! Okay, I know that I am not shocking any of you in saying that. We wait the whole year to celebrate Christmas. We have this idea that Christmas will make everything better. And it does because of the birth of Jesus. But without His death, resurrection and ascension, this birth wouldn’t be the same. His birth and death change everything. And that is the focus of Christmas. Too often though we have this unconscious thought that Christmas will fix everything in our lives. We put expectations on Christmas that it will make everything better. That some how magically all of our problems will disappear and we will have no more worries. This is a beautiful thought, and it is true that God wants and desires us to have peace reigning in our hearts. And yet, we know that this is not practical. Why? Because. Why? Well, if Christ is going to reign in our hearts at Christmas, we have to want to make Him the center. And yet most of us desire to have others things or people at the center of our lives. We will our own will rather than what we pray in the Lord’s prayer: “Thy will be done.” If we want Christmas to be the best it can possibly be, then we have to die this Advent to our will. And our desire must be for the Lord to reign in our hearts and to be the center. This isn’t an easy task, it is something that takes years. And yet God provides the grace for this if we ask Him for the help. He doesn’t leave us alone. Our Guardian Angel is here to help us. So are the Saints who pray for us. God is constantly trying to lead us to make Christmas the best that it can be. Isn’t that what we truly desire deep down in our souls? Are we prepared for Christmas? I hope so and pray so. May God bless all of us with the love of Christ. May He be born in our hearts. And may we know the peace that only comes from God.
The Christmas schedule is the normal weekend schedule. I hope to see you then!!
Fr. Thomas P. Galarneault