Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Reflecting on Christmas

(Written the day before Christmas)
            Today is a day of recollection for our group.  It is an interior pilgrimage to rediscover God’s love for us as we come closer to Christmas day.  It is also a chance to examine our relationship with the Lord.  It is, therefore, a time for prayer, thanksgiving, fasting, and reconciling ourselves to God.  This is a moment to recognize and acknowledge our sinfulness and to give thanks to God for his great love in giving his beloved Son to reconcile us to himself.
            We all know that many people are busy preparing for Christmas.  Some are buying.  Others are selling.  Some are sending Christmas cards while others are receiving.  Some are sending gifts to their friends, siblings, and their loved ones.  All these are preparations for Christmas!  These are all well and good, but these seem to be only external preparations.  What about our spiritual pilgrimage?  As Christian pilgrims, we see this as very important and our first priority.  We spend this day to prepare our souls to receive Jesus Christ, who is a gift as well as a giver.  As the Gospel proclaims, he is “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).  It is he who enables us to do what we do.
            In fact, God is closer to us than we know, “for ‘in him we live, and move, and are’” (Acts 17:28).  That being said, when we pray, it is the Spirit who prays in us and with us.  Thus our recollection aims at allowing the Spirit to work in us, to pray in us, and create a conducive environment in our souls for Christ to be born.  Since this is a noble and good thing, we gladly invite you to join us wherever you are; in your prayer and acts of charity to make Christmas a joyful and peaceful event.  Just as food is necessary for the body, so is prayer for the soul!  Would you pray with us for peace?

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