Christmas is here! It’s a wonder-filled scene to see all the twinkling lights: on the trees, on the houses, and decorating the churches. These small little lights play a big part in the celebration both visually as well as in meaning. 

Our modern age forgets what it’s like to live by the light of the sun. Since the dawn of man, most work was completed during daylight hours, which in the summer was plenty of time, yet in the winter,  the short amount of daylight limited what work could be completed. The ability to create and somewhat manage fire helped to extend the day, but firelight is not as illuminating as daylight, even on a cloudy day. Man adapted to a way of life lived by the sun during the day and the moon and stars at night. The passage of time could be identified by the phase of the moon and the constellations in the night sky. As man began to travel, these heavenly luminaries would guide his way consistently. 

A new twinkling light in the night’s sky was noticed, probably by most people, not just the three travelers, or magi, who visited Jesus. The difference is that they studied the meaning of this new light and found it to be the announcement of a royal birth. These men have been called wise men, and indeed, that is a title that suits them  and salutes the action they took upon learning what the rising star meant. They didn’t have to travel the distance to visit the baby, they could have sent an envoy. Or they could have just ignored it, since the baby was a foreigner to them, a person who would be of no consequence to them. But they opened themselves up to encounter God and they were changed because of it. 

All these tiny lights at Christmas remind us that we are to reflect the light of Jesus to others. We are like the thousands of little twinkling lights in the night sky in comparison to the main light of Christ. Our lights form spiritual constellations for others to find their way to Jesus. Our light is transformative, not because of who we are, but that we allow ourselves to be transformed by the Light of the world. Without the convenience of electric lights, the world in winter would be a very dark place. Christmas is the celebration of the light of little baby Jesus coming into the world to lead us out of the darkness of the winter night and into a world of hope, light, warmth, and love. May the spirit of Christmas inspire you to twinkle and share your light with those around you. 

It’s the final days of Advent and the big rush to get ready for Christmas is on. In the middle of this rush, we need to take the time for God, He can enlighten us in the simplest of ways, as long as our hearts and minds are open to Him.

Baking and Christmas, for me, go hand-in-hand. I have had to cut down from the seven different kinds of cookies I make, since being a remote worker means I no longer have an office to distribute the goodies, but there’s still plenty that I make and give as gifts. I always challenge myself to try one new recipe each year and over the years the other varieties have changed from what I originally made. In my first apartment on my own, I made the same recipes my Mom did and that I liked. Now there are only two that are from my childhood. While I don’t remember which Christmas my Mom gave me her Mirro Cooky Press (no that’s not a typo, that’s actually how they spelled it), I have been making the spritz cookies each year ever since; that’s probably about half my lifetime. Over that timeframe I learned my one brother-in-law, who isn’t overly fond of cookies, actually liked them and would choose to eat them. Each year he gets a whole tin of spritz cookies from me. 

As I was pressing the cookies out, I became nostalgic thinking about how long it’s been since I’ve been making these cookies. While I have learned many lessons about being efficient in making them, the process is far from perfect. It seems the first few cookies just refuse to stick to the cookie sheet, requiring my intervention. Sometimes that means just a little coaxing to cut the dough from the press and the shape looks like what it’s supposed to be, a wreath. Others are very stubborn and I end up with little pieces that I do my best to reassemble. Some do come out nicely and cut well with a simple twist of the press. I noticed this year that even the nice ones needed a bit of “hands-on” from me — tapping down the pointed tips that are formed when the press is lifted up. “What a needy bunch I have this year, “ I thought, “always wanting a bit more love from their maker.” It was this thought that made me think of my Maker and what kind of cookie I am to Him? Am I the kind that He has to reassemble, or am I more like the ones that just need the rough edges smoothed out?

There are times, as I slide the cookie sheet into the oven, that I wonder how many nice cookies I’ll have, and will I have enough to package up in gifts? In terms of volume, there are plenty to give away, but one wants to give out the nice ones, not the misshapen ones. There is a bit of baking magic that happens in the oven, as only the most difficult ones are the oddballs of the batch. Yet, those oddballs taste every bit as good as their prettier neighbors. The gift packages may not win any baking consistency championships, but somehow with the red and green sugars sparkling on them, the majority of the spritz cookies convey my love and the spirit of Christmas. Isn’t that the true meaning of Christmas: the Love of God takes human form to restore our relationship with our Maker through the Holy Spirit? Won’t we one day sparkle and shine in heaven after our rough spots are smoothed out and our imperfections removed in purgatory?

The oddball of the first batch is my quality assurance tester. Again, I am amazed that a few simple ingredients can come together and make music in my mouth. I wonder if God feels similar whenever we choose to do His will and assist others in their needs?

I never realized how much we are like cookies: we are all beautiful in our own unique way and tasty too! We should never give up on the oddballs, since God doesn’t either. Lastly, we need to be open to God to allow Him to reveal Himself to us in all the little things we do. May you and yours celebrate Christmas with the love and sparkle of the Spirit!

The herald for the second week of Advent is the greatest herald in the Bible: John the Baptist. His message is to prepare oneself for the Lord’s coming. As his cry travels down through the centuries, it’s deeper than just preparing for a visit from Jesus, it’s preparing to receive Him deeper than we ever have.

Advent is a time to prepare, yet many times we think we need to do all the preparations ourselves. Decorating, cooking, baking, and visiting — it’s all up to us to do. But is it really? Some people can receive a material gift with genuine appreciation, even if it’s not something they want, however, when someone offers to lend a helping hand, they are waved away. The volunteer is offering their gift of friendship, of time spent together, and of lightening the workload, even if it is an activity that is enjoyed. So why is the offer to assist rejected? For many it is a matter of control, if I want something done a certain way then I need to do it myself. I think this is a reflection of our culture where the focus is on what I want and how I feel. If we open ourselves up to receive the gift of aid, then we may also receive the gift of a different perspective. It may lead us to a deeper appreciation of Jesus, the Christmas season, and our relationship with the volunteer.

For some people who are capable of the activities we do to prepare for Christmas, having help may feel like we are taking it from someone who truly needs it. Christmas is a great time to volunteer to help those less fortunate than us. But people who offer their assistance know that we have the means (the time, talent, and resources) to accomplish our tasks. They are asking to be part of our lives, to share themselves with us. In accepting their gift of time and companionship, we are learning how to extend our focus beyond ourselves and to experience the world through another’s eyes. When we understand how to receive the gift of another’s time, we are better able to be compassionate and reach out to others who are in need. And that gift of friendship is the opportunity God provides to us so that we can practice having a relationship with Him. Jesus is continually calling out to us to be our Friend, to receive Him in the Eucharist, and to accept the salvation and redemption He won for us through His death and resurrection.

If John the Baptist didn’t think he was worthy to carry Jesus’ sandals, how can we think we can receive Jesus if we haven’t practiced being a friend to others? We are called to practice imitating Jesus by having relationships with those who come into our lives — both in our families as well as the friends we encounter across the various aspects of our lives. Friendship works both ways: by being a giver of what we have, and a receiver of what is offered to us. Let us use this Advent to prepare to receive Jesus by receiving those who offer the gift of time and self to us.

Happy Advent! Did you miss that it started on Sunday? If you only paid attention to the readings, especially the Gospel, you may have thought you were still at the end of the liturgical year. In fact, why in the world would the Church choose such a Gospel for the beginning of Advent? Perhaps a better question to ask is: what is Advent? Yes, it is the preparation time before Christmas, but it is more than that. Advent is preparing for all the comings of Christ, only in reverse order: tomorrow, today, and yesterday. 

First the Church, through the Gospel readings, asks us if we are ready for Jesus to return; not someday in the future, but right now. Secondly, in having four weeks to prepare, the Church gives us the opportunity to “scrub our souls,” to utilize this new (liturgical) year as the time to get our spiritual lives back on track with a deeper relationship with God. Lastly, by celebrating His Incarnation, we remember when, “in the fullness of time” Jesus walked on the earth like you and I. Matthew’s Gospel passage (24:37-44) has Jesus asking His disciples of His day (and all who will follow Him through the centuries) if they will be prepared when He comes again. Jesus is heralding the end of time here at the beginning of the Church’s year. But even the “end of time” is a beginning as well — it’s the beginning of eternity with both body and soul as we anticipate the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment.

Who wants to think of the end of the world as we know it? Isn’t it nicer to think about Jesus coming as a wee babe over 2,000 years ago? The nativity story brings both joy and peace, wouldn’t it be better to just focus on that? Or maybe it’s focusing on the gifts we’ll get, I mean give, at Christmas; that’s a better line of thinking, right? How about instead of thinking of giving  gifts, we think of the holiday’s receiving aspect? We enjoy it when our friends and family delight in receiving our gifts, but how joyful are we to receive what is given to us? From the ugly sweater to the tool we will never use, it’s the thought that counts, right?  But do we receive those gifts well? Do we appreciate the thought, time, effort, energy, and cost the givers spend in preparing our Christmas gifts? Perhaps this year we can challenge ourselves to be content with whatever we receive, and to receive it well. That means with all the love and appreciation that  we have in the relationships we have with the gifters. 

When Jesus was born at Bethlehem, there were very few who were happy to receive Him: His parents, a few shepherds and three foreigners. Is the world any more welcoming to Jesus now? For us Catholic Christians, do we celebrate His birthday or do we use the day to celebrate our material and consumer-driven world? Jesus comes to us every day that Mass is said; do we joyously greet Him as we receive His Precious Body in the Eurcharist? And if Jesus came at the end of the world today, how would you receive Him? Would you be ecstatic to see Jesus or would you feel not truly ready to meet Him? This is what Advent is all about: preparing to receive Jesus in every way He comes to us: yesterday, today, and always until the end of time. 

St. Paul cautioned the Romans in his letter to stay awake and that salvation is closer today than when they first believed. Time is marching ever nearly to its end, which is the beginning of life eternal with God. Now is the time to prepare. Now is the time to turn to God and seek a relationship with Him, to seek to do His will, and to be open to receive all the gifts He wants to give us.