We’ve
heard the theme this Advent was to "Celebrate Differently" and as we discovered to celebrate —The Greatest Gift. We’ve
heard about everything that comes with that gift, as well: HOPE, LOVE, JOY and
PEACE. Yes, God has given us The Greatest Gift we could ever receive.
Yet we may look past that gift to the material ones that lie before us. Often, The
Greatest Gift does get pushed into the corner and buried by the wrappings
we discard from everything else. Tomorrow comes and sadly, The Greatest Gift
can all but be forgotten.
So now
it is “our turn”. What are we going to do? Open the Gift. Jesus wants to be a
part of our life. All we have to do is open the Gift! Then we’ll hear “…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.’”
Christmas is
unlike any other feast we celebrate. Sure, we understand the significance of
Easter. Yet for many, the anticipation of Christmas is something we actually
look forward to each year. In a strange way, we enjoy the frenetic pace that
surrounds Christmas. We appreciate the reminder that Advent gives us to try and
slow down that pace. And, we are thankful for the opportunity to set things
straight with God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Our focus
throughout Advent was to celebrate differently this “Greatest Gift.” We focused
on weekly themes that Jesus gives each of us as part of that Greatest Gift:
Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. Today, all that gets wrapped into one wonderful package.
The Greatest Gift has arrived! The challenge for every one of us is to open the
gift. Jesus has come into our lives but we must open the gift! When we do that,
we allow him to be a part of everything we do. He becomes the gift that enables
us to embrace the example Jesus set forth in Matthew 25: feed the hungry, give
drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, and visit the
imprisoned. He becomes the motivation to see his face in everyone we meet.
We will never
fully appreciate the value of The Greatest Gift. But, we can try to show our
appreciation by using the gift. None of us knows what 2017 will bring to our
lives. We do know, however, that whatever comes at us will be easier with that
gift of Jesus by our side. With that thought in mind, I also want to take this opportunity
to wish everyone a Blessed 2017
WHO