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Merry Christmas!! Here are this week’s must-reads:
+ “And so he comes. Not because we are prepared. Not because we deserve him. Not because we have earned or accomplished any darned thing. He comes because he loves. No matter what kind of Advent you have had, whether it all went as you planned or you failed in a thousand ways, Jesus comes. Because he loves you. He comes into our mess, into our broken lives, into our weaknesses and failures. Thanks be to God for the gift of his generous, all-giving love. He comes. Because he loves.” — Danielle Bean
+ “Jesus isn’t an escape from life’s trials, but he’s our closest friend through them.” — Burk Parsons
+ “Christmas is about God’s doing whatever it takes to be with us – and our just doing whatever it takes to be with Him.” — Ann Voskamp
+ “Scripture always surprises you. The liturgy, too. How is it that in nearly 25 years of going to Mass every day, I never noticed that this is the 1st reading on the winter solstice every year? “The winter is past.” THE WINTER IS NOT PAST! It is so cold and so dark. It’s the shortest day of the entire year, and the Church says, “The flowers appear on the earth! The time of the singing of birds is come!”
“Because this is what it is to be a Christian: to know in the darkness that the light will dawn. To know in our loneliness that we are held. To know in our grief that joy is promised. To know in our suffering that God has conquered the world. It doesn’t mean we ignore the darkness of winter… pretending that everything is fine. It means we trust in the promise of hope. That the moment the world begins to get lighter, we cling to the light instead of dwelling on the darkness.” — Meg Hunter-Kilmer
+ “Christmas isn’t just a 1 day thing — it’s a season that lasts until Epiphany. The feast continues. In a world of rapidly changing trending topics, we move on too fast to the next thing. As Rolheiser has said “Our society knows how to anticipate an event but not how to sustain it.” — Rich Villodas
+ “God so much desired to fulfill our deepest yearning for a home that God decided to build a home in us.” — Henri Nouwen
+ “This is Christmas… That God declares, “Okay, when you’re sick and all you have to offer me is your wounds, I’m going to come close. When you’re sick and all you have to offer me is your sin, I’m going to come close. When there is no loveliness in you, God declares, “I’m going to come close.” When all we have to offer him is infection, He comes close… God himself comes so close to us.” — Fr. Mike Schmitz
+ “We have a God Who wants to fill our hearts with joy. We have a God Who provides for us on His timeline. We have a God Who stretches our hearts in love during the times of waiting. We have a God Who fulfills His promises in the most surprising ways. And isn’t this what Christmas is all about?” — Rose Coleman
+ “I can trust Him in the darkness and know He looks after me as a mother after her only child. He knows my needs, difficulties, and desires. He listens to my every sigh and sees every tear.” — Mother Angelica
+ “Christmas is ultimately the celebration of God saying, “I see you where you are and I’m coming after you!” He is the kind of God that sees hard places and broken people and moves towards them, not away from them….But a true celebration of Christmas not only profoundly overwhelms us with the beautiful truth that Jesus stepped into our hard and broken, it also practically compels us to move towards the hard and broken of others around us.” – Jason Johnson
Here’s what’s featured in this week’s Catholic Wife, Catholic Life Collection.
I share these every Monday and they always include: two gluten-free recipes, a reflection & prayer based on Sunday’s Mass readings, and links to budget-friendly fashion & Catholic home decor. When I’m creating them, I always look up the upcoming feast days and find pieces to complement them so that you can have some examples of how to decorate for the different feasts & Liturgical seasons!
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