Bishop Gerald’s Christmas Message
We all have to admit that once Christmas is over, we all go into a bit of a slump! Why is that? Because only once a year, we enter a month of cheer, goodwill and happiness. We show kindness to those
whom we would otherwise ignore. We drag througheleven months of a dog-eat-dog existence, and all ofa sudden, we adopt a good neighbor policy, but only
for one month: from Thanksgiving to Christmas.Perhaps it’s worth it – even if it does last for onlya month. The problem is the withdrawal! The bills,the loneliness and the weariness are left after thecelebrations are over. However, God does not want
it that way. He didn’t come to earth for just a fewshort years only to retreat backinto heaven. Godis no Santa Clauswho brings goodcheer and a bagof toys and thenrushes back tothe North Poleto get ready fornext year. GODCAME TO STAY! He wantsHis birthdayparty extendedthroughout theyear. He wantsthe ChristmasStyle to becomeour ife-Style: lots of love, thinking of others ratherthan only ourselves, and expressing these with familygatherings, going to Church together, and gifts ofkindness to our family members, friends and neighbors.All of this could make for a full year of happiness.
People always feel good at Christmas time. Isit no wonder? They are doing the things that makepeople feel good at any time of the year. Christ said:“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” It alwaysworks whether at Christmas time or anytime of the
year. There is a story told about a brother and a sister.We can callthem John and
Jane. Theywere two veryfi ne teenagersawaiting theirgifts on Christmasmorning.
John got aflashy new suit.Jane received acolorful dress.Both thankedtheir parents for
the gifts.The nextSunday, thefamily was getting ready to go to Church. John came down wearing his fl ashy new suit. Jane came down, but she wasn’t wearing her new dress. Her mother was disappointed, but said nothing. After several weeks of not wearing the dress, the mother fi nally asked Jane if she liked the dress. Jane said: “Oh, sure I do, Mom”; but she never did wear the dress. The truth was clear; she didn’t like the dress at
all. On that fi rst Christmas, God the Father gave each of us a gift. It was the gift of His Only-Begotten Son. To be sure, we all thank God for that gift each Christmas. BUT, the truth of whether we really appreciate the gift is found in the presence of that gift in our lives throughout the rest of the year. To be sure, the intensity of Christmas cannot be continued throughout the year, but, it can be a continuing inspiration. The spirit of Christmas should never leave us. There should be no withdrawal from its impact.
How do we do that? St. Luke in his Gospel says of the Blessed Mother: “Mary kept all of these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk. 2:18). Maybe that is the key! Mary saw
and heard all of these wonderful happenings on that fi rst Christmas. She wasn’t about to forget any of them. She wasn’t going to withdraw from them. She let these events inspire her for the rest of her life, because she kept pondering them in her heart. This is what we must do if we are to live the Christmas spirit throughout the year.