Happy Christmas

Happy Christmas

HAPPY CHRISTMAS READERS.

Happy Christmas to all of my readers.  I wish to say thank you for taking an interest in my blog throughout the year.  Knowing that some people are following and reading my posts inspires me to want to write more posts.  So, thank you.  I hope that my posts are on target for your needs.

MANGER AT BETHLEHEM.

My friend was a guide and took a parish group to the Holy Land.  He shared his pilgrimage with his friends on Facebook.  I have his permission to share his photos.  So why am I saying this?

I want to focus our attention now on where it all began- in a stable in Bethlehem.

When I went to the Holy Land back in 2000, I remember being a little shocked actually at the sight of the birth of Christ under the Nativity church. I do not know what I expected, but perhaps i had in my head many crib scenes and somehow expected something similar.  I was initially disappointed when I saw the site.

THE DOOR AT BETHLEHEM

Yet I will never ever forget the experience of going through this little door early in the morning to avoid the crowds and sitting on the stairs waiting for the site to be opened to pilgrims.  I also treasure the Mass we had in St Jerome's chapel early that morning.

I also remember that Christmas and those that have followed- yes, it is nice to have Christmas trees and decorate the house and have lovely presents for everyone.  It is all about showing the importance of Christmas as it is Christ's birthday.  For some people the balance gets out of sync and people go over board.  I remember that first Christmas in 2000 longing for a simpler Christmas and although there was so much going on around me, I tried to keep it simple in my heart and mind by taking myself back to the manger in Bethlehem. The entrance to the manger has no decorations or tinsel.

So as we begin Christmastide in the liturgy ( 12 days of Christmas not the 12 days before Christmas as the shops would lead us to believe), we too need to reflect on what Christmas means to us.  Reflect on each of the characters that the story presents ( perhaps 1 per day even including the animals).  What will each of these characters say to you this year?  You may have done this in the past. You are different than last year or the years before.  Reflect of what Christmas means to you in 2018.  Then think of how your reflection can be carried into the new year.

Christmas is not for a day as the secular world would have us believe or even 12 days as the Church presents it to give us time to reflect on the meaning of the season.  We need to use Christmastide well by reflecting so that we may carry the reflection all year and let the message of Christmas carry forward 365 days.

I was involved in music ministry a a number of Masses, so I had the privilege to hear different reading and different homilies.  As a matter of fact, I heard 2 homilies from  Fr Martin Wallace ( prior at St Dominic's).  I wish to share one with you- one from Christmas Midnight Mass.

HAPPY CHRISTMASTIDE.