Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!
...my dear sisters & brothers in Christ. I pray that you are having a joyful & blessed Christmas surrounded by the people you love. As we celebrate the Nativity of our Lord, The Word becoming flesh, may God’s love and mercy be made manifest in your life. Just as Mary & Joseph were able to hold Jesus in their arms, may God’s love & grace be tangible in your life.

I was very blessed growing up. Even though I did not always appreciate it at the time, I had loving parents and siblings. Our lives were very stable and comfortable financially. As far as I knew, we never faced the prospect of not having food on the table, a warm roof over our heads, clothes to wear, toys to play with and yes, even a school to attend. As I grew up, I learned that that was not the case for many people in the world and even in our own country. When I got a little older I also learned that for some people this season of “joy” was anything but joyful. For many people the holidays only magnify their loneliness and depression.

For those of us who are so fortunate to be able to celebrate the holidays surrounded by loved ones, let us keep in our thoughts and prayers those who are struggling. Perhaps you can even put a name to one or more of these people. Perhaps consider reaching out with a phone call, or send a card or a gift to someone you know whose stocking may be empty this year. Consider including them in a family activity. With over 800,000 deaths from Covid alone, there will be a lot of people with an empty seat at their table.

While most of us will have trees overflowing with gifts, let us not forget that the greatest gift of all will be lying in a manger, and the other precious gifts that won’t be under the tree, for you can’t wrap the gifts of Love & Peace. The gifts Mercy & Forgiveness, of Compassion & Kindness, don’t fit in a box. While many parents will be frantically searching for that one gift that not even Santa can find, these are the gifts that we must make manifest. These are the gifts that our world so desperately needs. These are the gifts that came to us, lying in a manger, and these are the gifts we must in turn pass on to others.

May you have a joy-filled celebration, surrounded by the people you love. I pray that God fills your stocking with those things that eternally endure. May we all strive to share these gifts far and wide, as we proclaim the birth of our Savior and the coming of the kingdom of our God.

In the Redeemer, Fr. Rick