Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of snow covered trees.

Lucia Silecchia on Advent and a Joyful Anticipation of Christmas

". . . Through the eyes of a child, the days of December drag on, with a slow march toward the glory of Christmas -- a march filled with excitement and joyful expectation. Through the eyes of adults, however, Christmas arrives in a flash and flurry of activity, and the fleeting days of Advent can go unnoticed because they pass so quickly. . . .

"There is something to be learned from the joyful, unencumbered anticipation that children have as they wait, wonder and hope.."

In a recent commentary, writer/Professor Lucia A. Silecchia reflected on how children can teach us "much about what it means to wait with joy, and wait with readiness."

To access Professor Silecchia's complete post, please visit:

The Pilot: Echoes: Lucia A. Silecchia: A joyful anticipation (3 DEC 25)

Reflection Starter from Pop Leo XIV

"Christmas reminds us that God makes Himself known by drawing near to us, not in grandiose events or by revealing Himself from afar. God does not remain in some inaccessible heaven, but comes to meet us in the very heart of our ordinary lives. He shows us that daily life, just as it is, can become the place to encounter God." - Pope Leo XIV

Pentatonix: "Over the River"

As this blessed week draws to a close, I offer this version of Pentatonix presenting "Over the River":

 

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the special Advent blessings You are bestowing on us this season.

The Gifts of Advent

Advent is a season when we look forward to all that is to come at Christmastime and when we begin our beautiful traditions celebrating the birth of Christ. One tradition places the Wise Men far from the manger scene at the start of Advent and moves them a bit closer each day, until their arrival on Epiphany. In this way, we remind ourselves of the journey toward Christ that is the most important journey we all take in life.

Placing ourselves in the shoes of the Wise Men, we can imagine their sense of anticipation in setting out to find the infant Jesus. And their journey tells us so much about what it means to be wise because they had to exercise such amazing discernment from beginning to end on their journey.

Saint Augustine said of the Wise Men, "They who came from a distant foreign land to a kingdom that was entirely strange to them. . . . But they had learnt that such a King was born that by adoring Him they might be sure of obtaining from Him the salvation which is of God."

As Saint Augustine points out, the Wise Men had to exercise the keen discernment of strangers journeying in a land and culture unknown to them, and yet amid that challenge they had the wisdom to recognize the salvation of God in a child in a manger.

The Wise Men demonstrate the courage needed to see Christ in our midst, to see Christ in the weak and the vulnerable and recognize God at work in the humblest of places. They also demonstrate the sense of self respect we all must have to answer God's call, because the Wise Men clearly understood their mission as an important one, and we can see this in their bold endeavor to venture from so far off to perform their great purpose in history.

And what was their purpose? It was to reverence Christ and to announce to all humanity down through the ages that we have a Savior and that He came for every culture and person far and wide, as far off as their lands and beyond. If they could see purpose in seeking out Christ, so might anyone no matter how distant their lands or culture from any other.

In his great American short story "The Gift of the Magi," O. Henry wrote, "The magi, as you know, were wise men - wonderfully wise men - who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger. They invented the art of giving Christmas presents."

With this important act in their journey to find Christ, the Wise Men show a unique path for us to follow, because we all have different gifts to give. Discovering how we are called to give of those gifts is the key to our own journey to grow closer to Christ each day.

As we journey through Advent with the Wise Men, searching for worthy gifts to give friends and loved ones at Christmas can help us grow closer to Christ. We see that growth in the turn O. Henry's story takes at the end of "The Gift of the Magi," when husband and wife have sold their most treasured possessions out of love for one another.In this bittersweet ending, O. Henry's characters answer the call of Christ to give up the things of this world for the things of eternity. And we answer that call every time we give gifts out of love and every time we give of ourselves to build others up and to build up the Kingdom of God.

This essay is this week's "Light One Candle" column, written by Fr. Ed Dougherty, M.M, of The Christophers' Board of Directors; it is one of a series of weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current events.)

Background information:

The Christophers

Reflection Starter

"Every day is a new gift wrapped in newspaper." - quoted by character Chelsea Jones in the movie A Cinderella Christmas Ball

Clara Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op.7

It's time for some classical music. This is a presentation of Clara Schumann's  Piano Concerto in A minor (Op. 7) as played by the Schweizer Jugend-Sinfonie-Orchester with Alice Burla on piano, conducted by Mario Venzago:

 

National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

December is being observed as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month (also known as National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month), and a number of communities in this region are striving, in some way, to make injuries and deaths from impaired driving less of a threat.

During National Drunk and Drugged Driving Awareness Month and throughout the year, communities, health and safety organizations, and residents are being encouraged by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to work to prevent these tragedies.

Communities are asked to encourage residents to heed these recommendations:

• Designate a driver before going out.
• Don't allow impaired family or friends to get behind the wheel.
• When you host a party, look out for your guests.
• If you've been drinking or using drugs, get a cab, take public transit, or call a friend or family member to pick you up.

Background information:

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Impaired Driving

The White House: Presidential Message on National Impaired Driving Prevention Month

Belated Birthday Blessings, Chris!!!

Belated birthday greetings to Chris Gonzalez, husband of sister Mary, who recently celebrated his birthday!!! May each day of the upcoming year be filled with the Lord's choicest blessings!!!

Thank You, Lord

Thank you, Lord, for the blessing of hot cocoa (today is being observed as National Cocoa Day).

Fr. Joe Newman, OSFS, on Openness to God's Work

". . . Recently, at St. Francis de Sales School, we held a signing day with one of our students committing to play football at Rutgers University. During his interview, he spoke not about his successes but about what he learned from his failures. At one point he said, 'You cannot microwave the process.'  I liked it so much that I've borrowed the phrase for my own life.

"To 'microwave the process' is to want things instantly, thirty seconds, maybe a minute, and expect real transformation to happen that quickly. But the work the Lord does in our hearts and minds is not microwave work. . . ."

In a recent commentary, Father Joe Newman, OSFS, reflected on the importance of, instead of trying to force progress, trying to notice what God is already doing in our lives.

To access Fr. Newman's complete post, please visit:

De Sales Weekly: Provincial Reflection: Show Me (11 DEC 25)