Soul Scribe

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus this Christmas, it is good to remember that Christmas is more than one day a year. It was and is the start of something much more.

I want to share a special story about another Christmas birth this year. It was published earlier this month in the Arkansas Catholic.

Christmas blessings to all of you and your loved ones, and best wishes for the New Year!

Advent is a season of preparation for one of the greatest gifts of all time – the birth of a child named Jesus, who would come to sacrifice himself for those he loved.

Many see Jesus as a prophet, but for Christians he is Emmanuel, God with us.

Jesus reached out to anyone in need and called us all to do the same – a conversion of our souls that made us keepers of one another, as sisters and brothers in him.

This is our call from Jesus, but this means we are called to action. It is a call that Jesus lived from birth to death, as we must do as well.

Is it a call we always heed?

Of course not, let’s be honest. As humans, we often fail. Our failure is not because of Jesus or God. But it is a part of our learning process.

How we respond to our failures is the true test of our call.

Take a few moments before the celebration of Christ’s birth to prepare yourself – not just in decorating the nativity scene, Christmas tree and presents for your family and friends – prepare your soul to meet Jesus.

Pope Benedict XVI reminded the world to do so during his papal audience Dec. 22. You can see what he said here.

Now deck the halls of your soul in preparation for the ultimate Christmas present ever!

“For this is how God loved the world: he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

John 3:16
(New Jerusalem Bible)

Every moment and every event of every man’s life on earth plants something in his soul.

Thomas Merton

Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what it wants.

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

An angel of the Lord stood over them and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified, but the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid. Look, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people.

Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’

And all at once with the angel there was a great throng of the hosts of heaven, praising God with the words:

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace for those he favours.

Luke 2:9-14

New Jerusalem Bible

 Christmas is not just a day, an event to be observed and speedily forgotten. It is a spirit which should permeate every part of our lives.

William Parks

The gift of life is what God bestowed on us.  He created us to live.  Each time we make a choice that ends this gift, it is a thorn in the temple of the Lord.  We are piercing his heart over and over with our choices.  Respecting God’s gift is a sacred duty that we must uphold.

For Christians, the Christmas holiday is a reminder of this gift of life.  The birth of Jesus in this world was a gift to humanity – an everlasting gift of new life that welcomed us to be brothers and sisters in Christ.

And for Jews, Hanukkah (Chanukkah) is a celebration of the gift of life as well – an everlasting reminder of the miracle of the light and the gift of new life by God in the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Even for Buddhists, Bodhi day is a celebration of the gift of life – the experience of enlightenment for the historical Buddha and the gift of new life in Nirvana.