From which we shall give

Life in Christ: CCC #2548

Desire for true happiness frees man from his immoderate attachment to the goods of this world so that he can find his fulfillment in the vision and beatitude of God. "The promise [of seeing God] surpasses all beatitude...In Scripture, to see is to possess...Whoever sees God has obtained all the goods of which he can conceive."

+AMDG+

Christmas isn't over yet

Life in Christ: CCC #2547

The Lord grieves over the rich, because they find their consolation in the abundance of goods. "Let the proud seek and love earthly kingdoms, but blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven." Abandonment to the providence of the Father in heaven frees us from anxiety about tomorrow. Trust in God is a preparation for the blessedness of the poor. They shall see God.

The Holy Family has much to teach me. They obeyed. They trusted. They suffered, but they never once turned away from God. In the days surrounding the nativity of Jesus, Mary and Joseph persevered beyond their own human limitations. Pregnant...about to give birth...traveling on the back of a donkey some 100 miles. Dreaming...an angel says, "Go or they will kill your child"...venturing into a land so far away from home. Because every step of the way, they begged for the grace.

I look to you, Lord, and say, "It's too heavy"...like my little girl tells me as she struggles to carry something bigger than her...but she - unlike me - tries to pick it up anyway. What good will I be if I just sit and stare at my cross? If I'm going to follow You, it needs to be on my shoulders...right where Yours was.

So my gift to You this Christmas is to try to be like You...like Mary...like Joseph. Not just in what I know about God, but what I choose to truly believe. Because if I really believe in You, then my life will reflect a greater love...a deeper commitment...a lasting peace. No matter the weight that bears down on me, or the obstacles that stand in the way...somehow it will all bear some kind of fruit...maybe in my own heart and in the hearts of my own children.

Amen.

+AMDG+

Advent - A Time of Waiting

...lots of waiting. For what?

• answers to questions about my health
• God's will regarding work and ministry
  
• this flu to be over

I just remembered that the vice I put on the board on the first week of Advent was impatience. I told the 6th graders, "The goal for all of us is to be holier on Christmas day than we were when Advent began. We all have things we want to change. Look at all the vices we listed - one from each of us. How horrible this world would be if we never changed these things. But look at all the opposite virtues! If we can reach these, by the grace of God, we'd all be saints!"

I should really listen to myself. Sometimes I have to be my own student. It'll save me a whole lot of frustration. =)