By Fr. Verne Stapenhorst
St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church
I believe that the Christmas season can be a time of mixed up values. We prepare for the coming of the Lord often with externals – like the tree, decorations and shopping for gifts.
There was a cartoon in last year’s Iowa paper that showed a little boy surrounded by gifts, wrappings and piles of ribbon. You could barely see his head. And after they were all opened, the boy looked up at his Mom and said “Is there anything else? Is that all?”
The answer to that question could be “Yes” or “No”. Yes, that something else is the love of God – the God who sent Jesus into the world on the first Christmas. The answer could be “No” if the love of God is only based on gifts and festivities.
This Christmas season look into your heart, not into a gift and tell the boy in the cartoon that there is something else – that Christmas is Christ and that Christ must be the real meaning and purpose of the season.
After you take down the tree, put the decorations away, are you going to be a better person? That’s why we have Christmas. It’s a reminder that we must share our gifts – our gifts of kindness, generosity and forgiveness. It is a time to shape up our old habits, to learn again how to live and relive love of God and neighbor.
This Christmas get into the real spirit of the season. Take time and listen to the dreams of a young person. Feel the hurt of a broken heart – someone who is alone during the holiday season. Offer to your parish the gift of time, singing or reading for Christmas Liturgy. It may be the gift of decorating or baking a loaf of bread for a food basket. Give God your eyes, ears and hands so that we can touch and experience Jesus in the needs of others.
During Christmas focus your efforts on Jesus, the Son of God, look into your soul, feel love and find the truth. Tell the boy in the cartoon that there is more than gifts, food and parties. This is a birthday – the birthday of Jesus – Our Savior.
