Merry Christmas again from the abitadeacon! I hope your day today was one filled with happiness, joy, food, family & friends and peace. I understand that some of you may have had to work today. Others may have had a difficult day due to any number of circumstances. If that be the case know that I and Holy Mother Church held you close in prayer this Christmas Day!
Here comes my big annual reminder for one and all, especially people of good-will, Christians who celebrate the birth of our Lord and most especially Catholics, who should know that Christmas, as a season, just began yesterday at evening vigils and extends all the way to January 12th, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord! No, even though the world tells you otherwise, even though the Christmas music ends on the many radio stations that started playing Christmas music in November, and even though some will throw the tree to the curb tonight and take down the decorations, Christmas is NOT OVER!
Celebrate Christmas all season long. Keep the lights and decorations up, sing Christmas carols, pray at the crèche even in the domestic church, our homes, and follow the liturgical calendar of the Church every day this holy season!
The abitadeacon had a marvelous holiday; a wonderful Christmas Eve liturgy with over 500 people filling the pews and our overflow seating, wonderful Christmas carols sung by the choir and a liturgy worthy of worshipping the new-born King! After Mass, my little family met my wife's sister and her family for an exquisite Christmas Eve dinner at one of the best restaurants on the Northshore of New Orleans! My favorite Christmas Eve tradition was fulfilled: the viewing of Midnight Mass, first from the Vatican with Pope Francis and then from St. Louis King of France Cathedral Basilica from New Orleans with Archbishop Aymond!
This morning dawned early for me for some quiet solitude followed by an exciting Skype session with #1 grandson Calvin who showed off his new bike, Spiderman toys, a big shining fire engine and a big toy airplane. He really is in to Christmas this year! Off I went to assist the 10 a.m. Mass where another 250 folks attended. Again, another beautiful liturgy was celebrated in honor of this Christmas Day! Arriving home Wendy and I prepped for the arrival of my family, 8 in all as we gathered for dinner, catching up and exchanging of gifts. It was a perfect Christmas afternoon and early evening. And now I am quietly reflecting on the day, looking forward to the rest of Christmas and thanking God for Christmas blessings and more importantly, the gift of Jesus, who came to us as a man, born as a helpless babe, to grow up to be the man who opened heaven for all by dying on the cross and then rose from the dead.
Again, my prayer is this was a wonderful, beautiful Christmas for each of you. Please keep celebrating over the weeks ahead. There is a lot of Christmas left to celebrate!
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