2015-11-29
December; Proposed Theme; A child is born for us. Some Thoughts from Fr. Johnny Doherty
· Christmas is very much
centre-stage all through the month of December.
· This is true commercially
and it is true from the point of view of our Christian faith.
· Sometimes people say that
Christmas is for children. This could
not be further from the truth.
· Rather Christmas is the
time when we are taught by children.
· First of all we are taught
by the child born in Bethlehem, Jesus the Son of God and the Son of Mary. He teaches us the most important message for
human life, namely the wonderful love that God has for us and for all human
beings.
· Secondly Christmas is a
time when children teach us the important things of our own lives.
1. They teach us that our
family life is the most important thing of all as we prepare for this great
feast.
2. They teach us the
importance of joy in our homes as they laugh and look forward to, not just
Santa, but also to the Crib
3. They teach us the importance
of a sense of wonder about the mystery of life as their eyes open wide with
wonder at everything during this time.
4. They teach us the
importance of love and affection by their hugs and kisses
5. They teach us a sense of
adventure as they live this season with freshness and with expectation.
6. And they teach us the
importance of taking time with one another and not just giving things to one
another.
And Christmas itself is celebrated
around the Crib where Jesus Mary and Joseph are presented to us as the very core
of this very special event. This is
followed up by the feast of the Holy Family, giving us an opportunity to
consecrate our family to them and set out to become an ever greater family
through our love for one another and for our God who loves us so much.
Questions:
1. What are some of your best
memories of Christmas as you grew up?
This is for parents to share with their children
2. What are some of the
things you would like to do this Christmas as a family? This is for children to share with their
parents.
3. How could you use
Advent/December to prepare yourselves as a family for Christmas this year?
4. How could you, as a
family, help to bring joy to other people in your parish and beyond during this
season of Advent and Christmas?
Suggested
actions:
1. Make a list of all the
people who make up your family, beginning with those in your immediate family
and then going out to those in your extended family e.g. grandparents, aunts,
uncles, cousins etc.
2. Make a sacred space in
your home where you can create an Advent wreath.
3. Take 5 minutes together
each day during Advent/December to pray for your family,
taking one person each day to think about and to pray for – a decade of the
Rosary could be a good prayer to say each day for that person.
4. Include in this list the
names of your priest(s); your bishop; Pope Francis and all the leadership of
the Church both lay and clerical and take a day as a family to pray for each of
these.
5. Write a family letter of
appreciation and support to the priest(s) of your parish and send it for
Christmas.
6. Write a family letter of
appreciation and support to the Bishop of your Diocese and send it for
Christmas.
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