As we were caroling to our homebound last weekend we almost broke a sweat! But I digress.
As I was saying, I was reflecting the upcoming weekend and the marathon of Christmas Masses along with the awe inspiring abundance of people packed into the church. I am enjoying these last few moments of watching and waiting in preparation for our Lord's Nativity.
Christmas has always been a special celebration for me. As a child I remember vividly serving Midnight Mass (and yes, it was celebrated at Midnight!). We would get home in the wee hours of the morning with so much residual energy left from the beautiful Mass. There was always something mystical and enchanting about Midnight Mass. There was also the excitement of the family (aunts, uncles, cousins, and even the occasional friend coming by) gathering at my grandparents house later that day. But, most of all I was blessed with a family that emphasized the joy of the Nativity and the importance of family.
(Spoiler alert! The next paragraph contains themes that will be reflected upon in my Christmas Homily!)
Today and tomorrow, we watch and wait. The question we have to ask ourselves is, what are we watching and waiting for? What is the thing we are anticipating the most? Is Christ the first thought that comes to mind? If not, there is still time to e-evaluate our view of Christmas. Yes, there is joy in giving and receiving on Christmas day, but do we realize what a tremendous gift we have been given in the Nativity of our Lord? Do we give to God in the measure we have received from him? As we spend these last few moments preparing for Christmas let us not forget to take a quiet moment and reflect on how each of us can better follow our Blessed Mother's example and offer ourselves as a gift to God who did no less that give the gift of himself to us...
