Pope Benedict XVI (12/18/05) commenting on the scene of the Annunciation as recounted in today’s Gospel (4th Sunday of Advent). "With the angel’s greeting to Mary —‘kaire’ in the Greek, which means ‘be joyful’—the New Testament begins," he said. "We could say that the first word of the New Testament is ‘be joyful,’ ‘be happy,’ in other words, ‘joy.’ This is the true meaning of Christmas: God is near us, so near that He became a child."
The Holy Father then highlighted how "we realize that today’s world, where God is absent, is dominated by fear, by uncertainty." Nonetheless, "the words ‘be joyful because God is with you and with us,’ truly open a new time."
"Joy is the true gift of Christmas, not the expensive gifts that call for time and money. We can communicate this joy simply: with a smile, a kind gesture, a little help, forgiveness. And the joy we give will certainly come back to us.…Let us pray that this presence of the liberating joy of God shines forth in our lives."Let Me Not
Keep Christmas . . . . . . . . Linda Felver
A Book of Christmas, Nashville: Upper Rooms, 1988, p. 48
"Let me not wrap, stack, box, bag, tie, tag, bundle, seal, keep Christmas.
Christmas kept is liable to mold.
Let me give Christmas away, unwrapped, by exuberant armfuls. Let me share, dance, live Christmas unpretentiously, merrily, responsibly with overflowing hands, tireless steps and sparkling eyes.
Christmas given away will stay fresh—even until it comes again."
Christmas Eve Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . Frank Borman, Apollo 8 space mission, 1968
"Give us, O God, the vision which can see Your love in the world in spite of human failure.
Give us the faith to trust Your goodness in spite of our ignorance and weakness.
Give us the knowledge that we may continue to pray with understanding hearts.
And show us what each one of us can do to set forward the coming of the day of universal peace."
Some Special Gifts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Source Unknown
Here are a few suggestions for special gifts:
a firm handshake to a shaky soul,
a kind word to a lonely person,
a warm smile to the disheartened,
a sincere concern for someone troubled,
a feeling of compassion for the neglected,
a comforting thought for the bereaved,
a respect for the dignity of others,
a defense of the rights of individuals,
a word of witness to help a seeking soul,
a Merry Christmas to all.
Keeping Christmas. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Henry Van Dyke
There is a better thing than the observance of Christmas day,
and that is, keeping Christmas.
Are you willing…
to forget what you have done for other people,
and to remember what other people have done for you;
to ignore what the world owes you,
and to think what you owe the world;
to put your rights in the background,
and your duties in the middle distance,
and your chances to do a little more than your duty in the foreground;
to see that men and women are just as real as you are,
and try to look behind their faces to their hearts, hungry for joy;
to own up to the fact that probably the only good reason
for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life,
but what you are going to give to life;
to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe,
and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds
of happiness—
Are you willing to do these things even for a day?
Then you can keep Christmas.
Are you willing to stoop down and consider
the needs and desires of little children;
to remember the weakness and loneliness of people growing old;
to stop asking how much your friends love you,
and ask yourself whether you love them enough;
to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear in their hearts;
to try to understand what those who live in the same home with you
really want, without waiting for them to tell you;
to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke,
and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you;
to make a grave for your ugly thoughts, and a garden for your kindly feelings
with the gate open—
Are you willing to do these things, even for a day?
Then you can keep Christmas.
Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world—
stronger than hate, stronger than evil, stronger than death—
and that the blessed life which began in Bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago
is the image and brightness of the Eternal Love?
Then you can keep Christmas.
And if you can keep it for a day, why not always? But you can never keep it alone.
Six Days of the Week,
NY: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1924 and 1952.
*All above material borrowed for your reading (and "not for profit") pleasure, from the link: http://www.appleseeds.org/christmas-quotes.htm
Apple Seeds ® provides inspirational and motivational quotes and short stories from eclectic sources that promote positive attitudes, and development of holistic human dignity–from tiny seeds to ripened fruit. This quoteletter is published nine times during the school year–September to May–by Fr. Brian Cavanaugh, TOR (Third Order Franciscan) as one of the outreach programs of Franciscan University. For more information click on Admissions Office. These pages are updated the beginning of each month.
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