Other Writings

Spend more money on Christmas. Spend less money on Christmas. Don’t buy gifts, send charitable contributions.
We get all kinds of messages around this time of year that are supposed to help us “deal” with the holidays, and have some positive effect on the economy and the world around us. Some of the messages contradict other messages, even while telling us that they will “help” the same things.
This is not a message to suggest how you might spend, or not spend, your money this Christmas. This is a simple reminder that Christmas is Christmas.
It’s about Christ. It’s about God becoming one of us; born as we are born, living as we live. Jesus as the child of Mary and only Son of God is bigger than we can ever really understand, so we break the idea down into smaller pieces. We look at the baby in the manger, surrounded by a pastoral scene of animals and the ever watchful Joseph and Mary. We imagine shepherds who have left their flock to see the baby announced by God’s heavenly messengers.
We look at this gift of God and remember the gift that new life brings to us when we experience the birth of our children, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and the children of friends. We look at this gift from God and know, because we know the whole story of Jesus’ life, that this is only the beginning and that God’s gift will turn out to be more amazing than we would dared to have asked.
I know that Advent is only beginning, and we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but Christmas will be here soon and if we rush through the preparation thinking only of the things that must be prepared, it is easy to forget the reason we are preparing.
The reason for our preparing is the child of God who is God; the creator who became one with the created and thus formed a new life within us, a life that knows no bounds to love, a life that gives of itself extravagantly. He has entered our hearts and lives in the form of a baby that we can only love and wish to care for, even as we are the ones cared for by his love.
This is preparation. This is Advent, learning to open our hearts to the baby Jesus so that we will be able to open our hearts and lives to the man who calls us to follow him.

                                                                                                      In Christ’s Love,

                                                                                                      Fr. Michael+