My dear parishioners, grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Over the years, you have given gifts to many people. Weddings, anniversaries, graduations, and birthdays are just a few occasions which prompt people to give presents to one another.
Along the way, we discover that giving gifts to God is commendable and a praiseworthy practice. “Make your vows to the Lord your God, and perform them; let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared.” [Ps 76:11] The phrase “who is to be feared” means the Creator before whom you humbly kneel. The Catholic community of faith, always drawn to the Lord’s table, celebrates the incomparable goodness of God our creator. In the Mass, we human beings bless God and his creation as good and deserving of our respect. We affirm, indeed we love, what God has accomplished in our lives and in each other.
Keeping in mind the approaching Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, will you consider giving yourself, more perfectly, to the Infant Jesus whose birthday we honor? What offering of the heart will you bring to the Christ child in return for his goodness and mercy? Turn to the Psalms, and contemplate these words: “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem.” [Ps 116:17-19]
Meditate on the third commandment. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” [Exo 20:8] Treasure God’s day of rest. Make your spiritual offering to the child Jesus in his Church by participating in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Visit him in the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the tabernacle of the altar. Consecrate yourself to his Mother in the presence of the angels and saints. Be a worthy model and spiritual example to others. On Christmas day, when you receive the Infant Jesus’ love in the sacrifice of the Mass, thank him for the fullness of his Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, the world’s most valuable gift. Then share the Christ child’s love!
May the infant Jesus prompt you to love God with all your mind, heart, soul, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself. Be forgiving. Be humble. Remain pure in heart. Be at peace in your household. Have the courage to be holy. Give to others what God desires them to receive. These personal gifts of your very self far outshine the magi's gold, frankincense and myrrh: “(God) has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” [Mic 6:8] Sincerely in the hearts of Jesus and Mary. Your pastor, Reverend Richard Barker.