REJOICE! The Journey to Christmas Has Begun
Turkey Day is over and now the 2023 Christmas odyssey is underway. It is my favorite time of the year and it all begins with the First Sunday of Advent.
I love the ‘reason for the season,’ which is the Baby Jesus. I love the awe in the faces of so many children and the extra smiles that come from the wonder and mystery surrounding Santa’s impending visit. I love the cookies and candy and cake and even some of the anxiety and pressure and insanity that mixes in as we move forward. I even love eggnog, fruitcake and pfeffernuesse. I am a hopeless Chrismatist.
More than anything, I love thinking about the Holy Family. Have you ever really thought about the Blessed Mother when she was a young girl about 14 or 15 years old? She was almost full-term in her pregnancy and was forced to travel on the back of a donkey for more than 80 miles to fulfill the census law. We have to marvel at her husband, Joseph, who must have loved her so much that he was willing to accept her Baby as his own. He led her and the unborn Child on this journey, protected them with his life, and made sure that the Savior of all mankind lived to complete His mission. This was, after all, a very different time culturally. Mary’s alternative could have been death by stoning.
Thank you, St. Joseph. Thank you, Mother Mary. Thank you, Jesus.
Yes, the Season of Advent began this Sunday (December 3) I have no idea how the days following will play out. No matter what, it will be OK. We are on our way to Christmas. For all of you willing to embrace the season, it is a beautiful, wondrous time for family, friends, love, joy and miracles. Even those who are experiencing debilitating illness or the grief of losing a loved one can find comfort in the Baby born in a cave surrounded by farm animals. That Baby is everyone’s salvation, even the broken-hearted.
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.
–St. Paul of the Cross (Catholicquotes.org)
Remember that the Advent Season is all about reflecting on how we can prepare our hearts and homes for Christ’s birth in the world as it is today. So, wrap the advent season around you and absorb the love and warmth that comes with it. From the joyful to the ill and downtrodden the love of Jesus is there for everyone. Stop what you are doing, take in a deep breath, and fill yourself with the LOVE in the air. It’s FREE.
In closing, as we continue on this unpredictable and happy odyssey into Christmas wonderment, I would like to wish you all a beautiful, blessed, healthy, and joy-filled Christmas.
© Larry Peterson 2023
Image: Pexels
LarryPeterson
Larry is a Catholic/Christian author and blogger and posts weekly commentary. His work has appeared in such publications as Zenit from Rome, Aleteia, New Evangelists, Top Catholic Blogs, Big Pulpit, Catholic365.com and others. His first children's picture book, "Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes" was published in 2011. In 2012, his full-length novel, "The Priest and the Peaches" was released. His second novel, "The Demons of Abadon", was released in the spring of 2016. Larry’s latest novel, “Horizon Homeless” was released in ebook format in May of 2017 and the paperback followed on July 27, 2017. Larry belongs to the Catholic Writer’s Guild, The Catholic Writer’s Society, The Knights of Columbus, and the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He has been an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion for over twenty years bringing communion to the homebound and hospitalized. He lives in Pinellas Park, Florida and his kids and six grandchildren all live within three miles of each other. His first wife died of cancer in 2003. He remarried four years later and became the primary caregiver for his wife, Martha who came down with Non-Hodgins Lymphoma in 2011. The cancer was in remission when she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in October of 2014. Sadly and unexpectedly, Martha passed away on March 27, 2017. The writer says, "God has me where he needs me and I try my best to make Him proud. Larry’s blog site is http://www.slipperywillie.blogspot.com You can find more at www.larrypeterson-author.com