Most of our Christmas celebrations will include giving and receiving gifts. The reason gift giving has become part of the Season is because of the gift God gave us in Jesus, and those who came to visit Jesus brought gifts.
Now we share gifts with loved ones and others too, which can be a way of being generous with our blessings from God.
As we prepare for Christmas through the Advent season and in the 3+ weeks of the Christmas sesaon we need to include Jesus through all of it. We will gather with family and friends for our celebrations. It is also important to come together as an assembly with our Parish faith family, at Mass.
Our presence and participation at Mass, in classes, in prayer, in Bible reading, in community building activities, in service opportunities, etc., strengthens our bodies and also the Body of Christ (the Church). When we receive Jesus in Word and Eucharist, we are getting the gift that is everlasting. But receiving Jesus is one of the steps.
We must then consume the Word and Eucharist, that when we are open to God's Way, they become a part of us, change us and help us to live more faithful lives. To do that we must stay connected and at times get reconnected.
We support and encourage each other through our faith journey. Sometimes that is as we assemble at Mass, other times it is as we meet in the community. As we are fed through our connections at Church, and we keep those connections going as we live through the rest of the week, we can better handle the struggles that come our way. When my connections have weakened the struggles are much harsher. Keep connected, regularly!
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