WHAT
WE NEED
Doesn’t
it seem that during the Christmas season when difficulties arise they seem so
much worse? Is it really true that there are more of those things in this
season or is it that we want this month to be trouble free and peaceful? It’s probably that. With the words peace, love,
joy, friendship and harmony all over the place, even on my Christmas dishes, we
expect an oasis to appear where we can rest from the cares of life. But of course, that isn’t possible and if we
stop and think we realize that the original Christmas was anything but trouble
free. A young couple far from home,
expecting a baby any minute, strangers in a strange town dependent on an
indifferent world for help. The art depicting the Nativity has left a false
impression and is pretty far from the actual conditions. They are depicted as
supremely serene yet it must have been terrifying. Anyone who has witnessed
birth and its immediate aftermath knows the truth. In this case the
surroundings were dirty, smelly, likely damp and chilly on top of everything
else. All they had going for them was
their trust in God. What the future held they had no idea and they hung on for
dear life to the belief that God was at their side. Sound familiar? It’s a pretty sure thing that at sometime in
our lives we will be in a situation where all we have is our faith in God to
sustain us.
The
birth of the Savior had to be in such circumstances because He came to give
hope to the world. He came to proclaim
that He is willing to do everything it takes to assure us of his Love. This is truly what Christmas is about. All the decorations, gifts, and festivities
are just trimming and when things are difficult they are not enough to sustain
us.
Through
this extraordinary event and the example of Mary and Joseph, He is telling us
that when we have Him we have everything we need.
With love,
Carol Lemelin OPA
(Order of Preachers Associate)
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