Celebrate the feast of Christmas every day, even every moment in the interior temple of your spirit, remaining like a baby in the bosom of the heavenly Father, where you will be reborn each moment in the Divine Word, Jesus Christ.

~ Saint Paul of the Cross

All acts of love require a sublimation of the will. Sometimes it is easy: the baby cries and the mother picks her up, holds her, and offers food or comfort. Sometimes it is not: climbing the stairs one more time at the end of the day without gritting my teeth can be a challenge, even if it is because I didn’t get to kiss them good night. What I have to do to save souls may mean climbing the stairs, washing the dishes, or running the extra errand. It doesn’t feel like love or the means by which a soul is saved, except if we consider that perhaps the soul being rescued from sloth or indifference is our own.

Family life requires daily sublimation of the soul for the good of others, and it frequently includes tedium like folding socks, plunging toilets, and redoing work done yesterday. If it is not done for love’s sake, the person doing it will become bitter, feel used, and grow resentment where love should be. 

Preparing for Christmas can feel like one long to-do list if we forget the reason why the gifts, celebrations, cards, decorations, and music exist. 

Love makes sacrifice possible. Perfect love makes it a joy. 

Lord, let me be an instrument of love beyond measure during this crazy holiday time.

To Ponder: In Jesus, God humbled himself to become a helpless child. That is the reason for Christmas. Mary’s obedience, her fiat, is also a gift to us of untold beauty and a reminder that all we do for others, we do for Christ. Therefore whatever we do should be done out of love.
~ Sherry Antonetti

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Motherhood changed from a role into a calling… a nameless something so enormous that a great deal had to be sacrificed for it.

~Anna Quindlen

IA favorite expression of mine is “I’m slow but I get it eventually.” That colloquialism played out with motherhood. We were married seven years before we had children. I believed I had no maternal instinct. All around me our cousins were having children. I felt left out, wanting to be a part of that club, but I also felt pressured. I was still too much of a child myself to take on motherhood. I had goals to accomplish and, if all happened according to plan, then I’d have children by the time I was twenty-nine. Right on schedule I announced to my husband that it was time.

When Stephen was born I fell in love. Totally. Nothing existed except for this baby. I still count those first six weeks as one of the happiest periods of my life. I was amazed how easy it was to put away everything for which I had worked so hard. Nothing else mattered.

I had been given a gift of love. Sacrificial love. I had been wandering aimlessly in a spiritual desert for years, still attending Mass but leaving God behind in church. But he never left me. Even though I did things my way all those years he still poured his love into me, unlocking a fierce mothering instinct.

I would spend nine more years in that desert. But the road back home had already been laid out.

Thank you, Lord, for the gift of children and the love they release in the world around us all.

To Ponder:  How have your children brought you close to God?

~ Susan Bailey

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All blessings come to us through Our Lord. He will teach us, for in beholding his life we find that he is the best example. 

~ Saint Teresa of Avila

Because I’m a teacher, Christmas, especially Christmas with small children, stressed me almost to the breaking point. The struggle with work responsibilities at the end of a school term plus home responsibilities and the children’s schooling conflicted with any expectations of a lovely and peaceful Advent. Christmas wasn’t likely to look like a greeting card, either. By the time I was ready to focus on Advent, it had almost passed. Blessedly, my Christmas vacation often started in time for the O Antiphons. I always felt that last week of reflection helped me to catch up with Advent. 

Today’s antiphon, O Adonai, calls to mind not just deliverance from slavery under the Pharaoh but our own deliverance through the coming of Christ. Just as the Lord, Adonai, redeemed the people of Israel from the bonds of slavery with outstretched arms, we look forward to the birth of the Christ Child, who comes with outstretched arms, seeking our embrace, and foreshadowing the day when those same arms will be stretched upon the cross for us.

O Adonai, thank you for the precious gift of you.

To Ponder: This season is filled with so many distractions that take our focus away from Christ in Christmas. What can you do as a family that reminds you of the best gift, Jesus?
~ Maria Morea Johnson

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Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.

~ C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

Scripture tells us, “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col 3:2). Are our minds occupied with heaven? Could this be an impractical or ridiculous question for a mother who needs to be uncompromisingly mindful of her present moments with her children as she vigilantly cares for them? 

Without doubt we mothers need to live fully in our present moments to focus on our family. But all the while we naturally yearn for heaven. We teach our children that heaven is the destination we strive for. Everything we do and say, the very way we live our lives, must add up to that. 

In this Advent season of hope and anticipation, we set our sights on the joys and the beauty that is to come in our eternal life, and we do our best to fully live out our vocation as Catholic mothers raising our little saints to heaven.

Dear Lord Jesus, please grant me the graces to be ever mindful of the true purpose of my life: to grow in holiness and help others so that I may meet you face to face one day. 

To Ponder: Are you “aiming” at earth alone? Are you “attached” to the world and its allurements so that you neglect to make the needed changes in your life to get closer to God? What steps can you take to avoid getting caught up in worldly affairs?
~ Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle

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First do what’s necessary; then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

~ Attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi

It’s almost Christmas, and the fact that you found the time to actually open this book and take a few moments for prayer and reflection is pretty impressive.

These last couple of pre-Christmas weeks really test a mom’s ability to juggle.

I learned to juggle in college, spending hours upon hours tossing tennis balls in the air in the hallway of the freshman dorm. When juggling, in order to keep those balls in the air, you have to be willing to let them go. To keep things in perpetual motion, you can only have one ball at a time in your hand.

The art of juggling proves that multi-tasking doesn’t work. The more you try to do all at once, the more likely it is that you will drop a ball or three. 

In these last days of hectic preparation, take a moment to set your priorities as Saint Francis advises. Figure out what’s necessary and do that first. Then move on to what’s possible—and suddenly, you may find yourself accomplishing those things you never thought would get done.

Lord, guide me through these busy days. Help me to keep my priorities firmly in line with my family’s needs and following your will.

To Ponder: Are you overwhelmed by your to-do list as you prepare to celebrate Christmas? Can you let go of some things or curb your impulse to multi-task so you can approach the coming holiday with wonder, joy, and gratitude?
~ Barb Szyszkiewicz, O.F.S.

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We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.

~ Romans 12:6

I wonder what the grand tally would be if I added up all the minutes I’ve spent wishing I had someone else’s gifts. I’m sure the number would be big. Even when I recognize the  gifts God has given me I still compare. I find myself wishing I had her sophisticated charm or his writing talent or her slim little thighs. Sometimes I have to stop and remind myself that comparison is the thief of joy and that I have other gifts. 

The truth of the story is that God not only gives us gifts and graces but he also gives us exactly the ones we need to do the work he has for us in the time and place he has chosen. I think the part that trips us up is the “he has chosen” part. We have to remember we are a part of his divine plan,  not the star of the show. If we were to trade comparison for gratefulness we would be overwhelmed with contentment. God doesn’t hand out gifts as if they are gold stars or extra credit for his favorite students; he blesses us with gifts in order to help further his kingdom here on earth. The gifts he gives are meant to be returned to him through loving service to others in his name.

Loving giver of all gifts, help me be grateful and proud of the gifts you have blessed me with. Help me be a humble steward of your gifts and graces.

To Ponder: What are your gifts? Make a list and then offer a prayer of thanksgiving for them. Next to each gift on your list write down the ways you can use that gift to further God’s kingdom.
~ Sheri Wohlfert

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We must become cradles of silence, meditation, and contemplation so that the Word may find our hearts ready to receive him—our souls and minds ready to hear his message of love. And, hearing it, may we arise and go forth and live it!

~ Catherine Doherty, Welcome Pilgrim

Although Advent and Christmas seem to bring out the best in people, it can also bring out the worst when people are scrambling around to buy last-minute Christmas gifts, getting annoyed that this gift or that gift isn’t available.

Sometimes the gift of ourselves can be the most important gift we can offer others. How do we give of ourselves? In our family, we’ve tried to create new traditions like singing Christmas carols, giving toys to children whose families are in need, donating to the food bank, volunteering to assist seniors during the holiday season, and visiting rest homes or hospitals. These all help to strengthen family ties and increase virtue, which can help us to make our hearts ready to “receive him,” the babe who came to save us all .

Thank you, God, for the gift of your Son, Jesus, whose birth we will  celebrate in a few days.

To Ponder: What gift of yourself can you give in these last few days before Christmas?

~ Ellen Gable Hrkach

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My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?

~ Psalm 42:2

My sister’s three-year-old woke in the morning and said, “I  want to go to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.” Only problem: Grandma and Grandpa live a thousand miles away. 

“I’m sorry, honey,” my sister said, “it’s too far for us to go for a visit right now. What do you like about Grandma and Grandpa’s house?” 

“Their backyard,” her daughter said, “and their books. And their toys. And . . . I miss Grandpa’s face.”

I thought that captured perfectly this season of Advent.  After the fall, God promised a messiah. Israel waited for the  promised one to arrive through the ages, through the long ages of Israel’s captivity in Egypt, in Babylon, and under various foreign overlords in the Promised Land. Israel looked always with yearning for their redeemer to come. Simeon waited in the Temple to see the face of his Savior. And then, one day, he arrived. Finally Simeon could look upon that face that he and all the Israelites had been waiting to see for so long: the face of our Redeemer, our Savior, our God.

With the arrival of Jesus, a new day dawned, hope came into a forlorn world, truth came into a world dark with lies, and love came into a world where human hearts had grown hard as stone. That day, that momentous day that changed the world forever, is almost upon us. We have only a little time left to prepare to see the face of God.

May I have the grace to see you, Lord, in the midst of all that’s going on.

To Ponder: What can you do today to prepare to meet God?

~ Jake Frost

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Christmas Eve

Silent night, holy night, Son of God, love’s pure light. 

~ “Silent Night”

Maybe you’ve spent the last few weeks thinking about  gifts. You’ve made shopping lists, visited the mall, wrapped and tagged, and stocked up on batteries. Perhaps all this gift giving or the other traditions of the season have made you feel exhausted or depleted. 

But now, on this silent and holy night, give yourself a gift. Take a moment to recall the arrival of your child or children into your life. Was it the culmination of a long labor, a C-section, an endless tussle with an adoption agency or the foster-care system? Maybe the process itself made you feel exhausted or depleted. 

But recall the feeling of seeing that child for the first  time. Think about all that has happened in the days, weeks, months, or years since then. Ponder all the ways that this  child has been a gift to you, cracking open your worldview and making you understand things about life and faith you never knew before.

Think about Mary, on this holy and beautiful night, holding her newborn son. Her exhausting journey and search for  shelter are over, and she’s looking at her child for the first time. Admire the baby boy with her. He’s her gift; he’s your gift, too. 

Merry Christmas.

Lord, I have received so many gifts. Thank you.

To Ponder: Your children are precious gifts from God. How will you let them know that they are?
~ Ginny Kubitz Moyer

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Christmas

The Church never tires of singing the glory of this night. 

~ Catechism of the Catholic Church, 525

Love songs stir our hearts. Maybe we’ve sung or danced to a favorite with our husband or father. Perhaps we’ve sung memorable songs with children or good friends. We understand Saint Augustine’s preaching, “Cantare amantis est” (“Singing belongs to one who loves”).

Consider the very first Christmas songs.

A dark Bethlehem night with shepherds in a field watching their sheep, when a sudden beat of wings shatters the quiet. A surprise messenger lights up the sky: “Behold, I bring you good news of a great joy.” An astonishing host of angels—a majestic choir—sings across the cosmos. “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace among those whom he favors!’” (Lk 2:13–14).

Imagine the wonder of the shepherds privy to the love song of heaven. After which they went in haste to Bethlehem “and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger” (Lk 2:16). When they arrived at the stable, they might have heard a mother’s voice singing a lullaby. How often throughout their lives did the shepherds replay the memories of that night, of those songs? How often do we sing the songs that mean the most to us?

Singing belongs to one who loves.

Jesus, help me to love you with a song in my heart.

To Ponder: What Christmas hymns and carols are most meaningful to you? Listen to them and prayerfully linger over the verses. Ponder their meaning. Then bring your heart to Bethlehem and sing to Jesus.
~ Pat Gohn

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