OH COME LET US ADORE HIM!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

In the hustle and bustle that leads up to our celebration of Christmas, many of us find ourselves asking, "What's it all about?" We sometimes wonder in the rush, the stress and the hurry, whether we have somehow missed the real meaning of it all. I have been pondering over this question myself as I prepare for Christmas, and I hope that some of my reflections might help us tune our minds relatively into this celebration of the birth of Christ, the Prince of peace.

Christmas is, first and foremost, about Love, God's Love. How much does God love us? He loves us so much that He gave us the most precious gift imaginable, His own Son Jesus Christ! That's the  heart of Christmas!

This great and wonderful love calls us to love one another, to share love through our human relationships. Love isn't always a warm and cozy feeling; it is a commitment and a decision to stick by others, come what may, through thick and thin, when the going is easy and when the going gets more challenging. The love that we share in our human relationships is a reflection of the love of God, calling us to give of ourselves to others.

At Christmas, we remember that Jesus was born in poverty, in a stable among the poorest people and farm animals. What does this mean to us today? We are called to look for the face of Christ in the poor, those in our own communities and in places away from us. Love can be a plate of food offered, a hand held, a smile shared, or comforting and consoling words shared with a challenged brother or sister, in our communities. I believe that, in the end, we shall also be judged by how much we cared for the needy.

Christmas is also about repentance of our sins and forgiveness of those who wrong us and also to those we wrong.  None of us is perfect, but with God there is mercy, forgiveness, and a second chance. Therefore, let us use the opportunity of God’s mercy to renew our lives with fresh starts, and well thought resolutions to create a better society for the new year.

We often hear the phrase "Keep Christ in Christmas" and we wonder how that is done! I think that Jesus himself gave us the best insight; if you want to keep Christ in Christmas, look around you, and look for Him. Here he is……feed the hungry, give a drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, give someone a shoulder to lean on, forgive the guilty, welcome the stranger, care for the sick, visit the imprisoned, and love your enemies.

Matthew 25:40 says, “The King will reply, I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these members of my family, you did it for me!”

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you all! Kindly accept my sincere and heartfelt appreciation to each one of you individually for all the love and support you have extended to our Parish, may the good Lord reward you and bless you all.

May we, like Mary and Joseph, listen to God’s direction in our lives so that we can experience the love of Christ at Christmas! And may we share that Christmas gift with others every day by WORD and DEED.

Shalom!

Margaret Sheila Matovu

Fri 27, Dec 2019 11:12 am