Merry Christmas! Jesus has come again!

This Monday we celebrate Christmas and it is not the end, but the beginning of the true Christmas season which goes until (depending on the calendar you follow) the feast of the Baptism of the Lord on January 8th.

This is a wonderful season, a season of joy and peace, and while the time with family and friends, the food and drinks, and the gift giving and receiving is wonderful, remember why we are celebrating in this time. It is so easy to get caught up in the commercial Christmas season, but we also need to be reminded that it is a joyous and wonderful and faith filled season. During this Christmas season let us be mindful of the greatest gifts that we have been and ever will be given, Christ Jesus our Savior who wanted to live our life with us.

Take some time to reflect on the Gospel accounts of how the coming of our Lord and Savior came about. There are a couple of them in the Gospels. Matthew’s begins with the genealogy through Joseph and the kingly side, and Luke’s goes through Mary and the priestly side a little later in the Gospel, but here is the story that we hear: In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

This is a story we have all heard many different times, and I would recommend talking to our children about it during Christmas. The line that I like to reflect on is the one that the angels say about the good news of great joy. This really is a season of joy and peace, even though we are running around to see family and friends, it is a season of peace that only Christ can offer us. So don’t get tired of this beautiful season of Christmas.

God bless,
Fr. Ken