Christmas Thoughts

It's kind of surreal how Advent becomes Christmas overnight. How preparing becomes celebration and we find ourselves in a world where God actually dwells instead of a world that is waiting for Him to come. We step from the Old Testament, into the New with hymns, carols, and bells. Actually the New Testament begins with the Annunciation of God with us, for that is truly when he came into the world, but His birth is the moment that we have a tangible sense of his presence and how much He loves us. Christmas really never ends. He has been with us since that day when he came into the world as a member of a family. We live in a world where God is with us. One day He will return in Glory, but until then we meet Him in the Mass.
Emmanuel, God with us, welcome!

Funny...Once Again

Feast of St John

Today is the feast of St John the Evangelist, and our John's feast day!
I have always loved the beloved disciple. He is so close to Our Lord.
We thank God for the wonderful Communion of Saints that we are so Blest to be a part of!

St John the Apostle, Pray for us!

I Couldn't Agree More...

“It is exceedingly interesting and attractive to be a successful businessman . . . or farmer, or a successful lawyer, or doctor, or a writer, or a president, or a ranchman . . . or to kill grizzly bears and lions. But for unflagging interest and enjoyment, a household of children, if things go reasonably well, certainly makes all other forms of success and achievement lose their importance by comparison.”
~Teddy Roosevelt

It IS a Wonderful Life!

Last night we watched the classic Christmas film, "It's A Wonderful Life", as we do every year.
I love the plot, the quirky dialog, the good, the bad and the ugly characters, but mostly I love that it is true!
I know a lot of people today would say that it's idealistic, unrealistic and that the themes and values are from another time.
They still watch it, but they feel that it is some kind of artifact, a tradition that takes us back in history to a time when people still believed in God, sought to be virtuous, and took care of each other.
The black and white on the screen seems to also represent a way of life that was certain and solid. Things were more black and white, and good and evil were easily defined.
People today seem to feel that the lines have blurred to the extent that a story like this one could never happen in the present time.
I disagree.
Sure, George Baily is a classic icon of virtue, whose whole life was centered around what he could do for others, and Mr Potter is a selfish,  nasty old man whose whole life seems devoted to what he could do to others to build himself up and make others crawl.
I know there are people of both kinds to be found today, and if we look for "George Baily" opportunities, we can be part of the "wonderful life" that George found when he saw the change he had effected just by being himself.
There are certainly Potters to be found, and there always will be.
But there are so many really, truly good people in our world, right now.
Even if it seems hard to find good people among neighbors, and those that we see on the news, and in day to day living, we must always remember that Our Lord is here, now, on altars and in tabernacles all over the world.
He is there to look upon, to see the ultimate good.
No matter how dark it seems, He is here with us.
No Potter can overcome the Light of Life.

Christ is not a memory, or an historic figure from another time.
He is with us always and with Him in the world, it can't be anything but a "Wonderful Life"

It Can't Be....

...That we can earn our way to Heaven, because if it were possible to get to Heaven simply by being good, God would have to let Maggie in. It is a testament to the intrinsic value of the human soul, that a person who has done unspeakable evil all his life can have a conversion at the moment of death, be truly repentant for his sins, and gain Heaven, after a time of purgation.  That an animal that has lived every moment of her life in total loyalty, obedience and love of others, and yet has no place in eternity, is such a stark reminder of the responsibility that we have, as beings created in the image of God, to try serve Him on Earth as best we can. Yet we have to be mindful of the fact that we can never be "good" enough to be worthy of entering into His presence. We must simply love and love simply.  That we will live in Eternity is certain, our place in Eternity is not.
God gave us the animals and their place is here, He gave us Eternal life and our place is there.

Prepare Ye

This is the last week before Christmas!
I can't believe how Advent has flown.
We are enjoying a nice break from school and the boys are sleeping in, reading, and just enjoying the slower pace.
Having most of the shopping and baking done, leaves me with some quiet, peaceful moments as well.
I feel like we were sick for so long that I missed about a month of normal life! There are things that I find I did that I don't remember doing, and things that I wanted to do that I couldn't. It was a good lesson in patience. I slowed down, let some things go, and still, here I am, the week before Christmas, with most everything done!
I think that preparing myself for the birth of Christ was easier this year, because I have had a lot more down time. I want to remember the lessons of this Advent.
Life can become so frantic, and it is so easy to focus on the macro, when the big picture is where the blessings are.
I have been spending a lot more time talking to my kids, all of them, even the ones in Texas.
I have been putting a meal on the table almost every night, instead of rushing to get everyone fed so that I can run to whatever is pulling me away.
I am much more present in the moment and I am so much less distracted by the details of things that I have no control over anyway.

I hope that I can make a habit out of this!