On this eve of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord my decorations came down. Yep, everything is packed up and in boxes except for one nativity scene that I leave up all year long. That scene is extraordinary in it's simplicity. It is simply Joseph and Mary adoring their son Jesus, their baby boy who happens to be Lord & Savior! Next to this simple nativity scene is a haunting statue of the Holy Family in flight, Joseph leading a donkey carrying Mary and the infant Jesus. We remember that an angel told Joseph in a dream to take the child with Mary and flee to Egypt, and they remained there until it was safe to return to Nazareth. And they lived as a family lived, worshipping God and growing as a family. They lived for the day in preparation for the future.
Now that Christmas is over we too are called to lived for the day, celebrating the now and all the many gifts God gives to us. We should spend everyday in prayer, worshipping Him and giving Him thanks, all the while living in the moment. Yet we too are called to prepare for our future too, a future that should vision life eternal with God the Father and the Holy Family. Whether it's the Christmas season, or Easter time, or the first few days in a traditionally cold and dark month where we seem to be placing Christmas in the rear view mirror, we are to live, in the moment, for God, with God and in God!
Pack those decorations away this weekend, enjoy your favorite football game, keep warm, but keep Christmas alive, go to God in prayer, and plan for your future, plans that keep us in God's loving embrace now and forever. And that's "now what".
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