A Letter from Fr. Paul - Sunday, December 25th

As we celebrate the feast of Christmas, I thank, on behalf of our community, all who did so much to make our remembrance of Christ’s birth meaningful, both in terms of liturgy (music, children’s pageant, environment, ministers, etc.), as well as reaching out to others (card Sunday, gift Sunday, food Sunday). May God bless you for your generosity!
 
Our second reading from Titus tells us that the “kindness and generous love of God our Savior appeared.”  That is what we celebrate at Christmas: Christ is making visible to us the kindness and generous love that God has for us.
 
Our first reading begins with “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings glad tidings, announcing peace, bearing good news, announcing salvation…” This is reminding us that we can’t simply celebrate the coming of Jesus into the world: our task is to bring the glad tidings to others by what we say and how we live our lives. 
 
Then our Gospel gives us a good example of bringing the Good News to others with the Christmas narrative about the shepherds. The angels came to the shepherds, out of curiosity they went to Bethlehem and found the child Jesus, and then “they made known the message that had been told them about this child.”  They were the first evangelizers: “all who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.”
 
My friends, that is what this feast is all about.  It reminds us that God’s love has broken into our crazy world, the Good News has been shared with us, and we have the obligation, as did the shepherds, “to make known the message” that has been told to us.  The more we can
mirror Christ’s life to others, the more meaning this feast has. Otherwise, it is simply a “sentimental journey.”
 
As we remember and celebrate that the Light has broken into the darkness of our world, let us renew our commitment to be that light to all we meet by mirroring Gospel values in all we say and do. 
 
I wish each of you and your family a blessed Christmas.
 
Church sign of the week: Be the light of Christ to all you meet.