The joy of conversion, Christian community, and the Catholic faith
There at dawn all the shelling ceased for the first time since coming here, and an amazing, peaceful, stillness came and lasted for several minutes, with the twitter of a bird in the distance the only living sound.
Later, at sunrise, the same thing happened and lasted for almost an hour and the morning has been comparatively quiet.
Jesus was born in a stable because there was no room or him in the inn. The innkeeper didn’t know that the Son of God was coming to him. He wasn’t prepared and missed a great blessing.
If the innkeeper had known what we know, he might have acted differently. The Scriptures would have acknowledged him as a participant in this great event. The gospel might read, “Jesus was born in an inn in Bethlehem, far from his home, attended by the innkeeper and the innkeeper’s wife.” Pilgrimages would bring the faithful to this famous inn instead of to the cave.
Pray about the people in your life. The neighbors you drew close to because of your common needs, the ones you missed so much during the coronavirus pandemic and those you haven’t. Ask the Lord to guide you in sorting out where these people belong in your life—whether it is a neighbor you barely know, a co-worker you tolerate or a newcomer to a ministry where you serve.
Merry Christmas Darling!
And to all my three daughters a happy one. I thought of all of you through the long Xmas eve night and just had to dig out this scrap of paper and say it to you even though it will be late getting there.
I’m sitting in the uncovered part of my hole and the sun is shining on the snow. “White Christmas” is a nice song but not for outdoor living.
We argued yesterday about whether it was Christmas Eve or not and finally found out that it was. One person has said, “Merry Christmas” to me so far and I guess that’s all I’ll hear of it, but plenty goes on in my mind and I know that you will understand my longing to be with you at this time.