PREPARE YOUR HEARTS FOR CHRISTMAS!

We are about to celebrate Christmas. It has been a very busy December and the busyness is not over yet. However, the Holy Season of Advent seems to have come and gone already. I hope you made some SPIRITUAL preparations for Christmas. There is always time for this.

You probably have decorated your tree by now. Did you decorate your soul? Did you receive the Sacrament of Penance this month in preparation? If not, just ask one of our priests and he will be happy to take care of you.

What are you planning to cook or to eat at Christmas? The Holy Eucharist is REAL food. It gives us real nourishment and adds new strength to our efforts to become better Catholics. It is the food of Christ’s body that can heal us of any spiritual maladies we may have. I always refer to Holy Communion as medicine. Think of all the medicines you take. Is the Eucharist one of them?

Preparing for Christmas is very simple. Everyone can and should do it. Make sure you talk about this with the children in your family. Take them with you to Church and stop in and say a prayer together.

Our beautiful Basilica is decorated inside and out. We have only one purpose in preparing these decorations. It is to announce and celebrate the birth of Christ, the Light of the World. When you come to the Basilica these days, you can feel the joy we are expressing everywhere you look. Add some Christmas joy and light to your marriage, your parenting, your fears, and worries, your hope for a better future, and your love for God.

It is Christ’s gift to each one of us. Let Him be born again in your life and in your household. It doesn’t take much. Just your sincere desire.
 

Msgr. Ronald T. Marino

Pastor