Smile! The Lord is on His Way!

Today is a day for smiling! The Lord is on His Way and will be here on Monday! Think about it...those who lived before the actual birth of Christ had no idea he was coming then (except for a few who had an inkling, *wink)! Unlike the people of that time period, we have the awesome honor of knowing that he is coming on Christmas Day!

Of course I'm not speaking in physical manifestations. Christ will likely not walk into your living room and sit with you on Christmas morning. And yet at the same time, that's exactly what's going on. To Christ in each member of our family this Christmas is to see God's creation for what it mirrors, for what it truly is. It's to be in the world but not of the world. So when you're opening presents and eating Christmas dinner, remember that in everyone there is God smiling back at us. And even though we don't know his actual date of birth, we celebrate his awesome journey to this Earth with all that we've got! And we should!

Consider this, some of the best music ever composed is Christmas music! And if it's not Christmas music, it's music in honor of God. And how many times a year do we go out of our way to put a tree in our living rooms and decorate it with lights and ornaments? Never! Advent is the season to prepare in all the ways we can for the awesome coming of our Lord! We must be busy with that preparation and know that "If you have too much to do, with God's help you will find time to do it all." (St. Peter Canisius). Don't feel overwhelmed this week as you prepare, buying gifts and cooking, etc. December 21st is Saint Peter Canisius' feast day and what a day to have! Just three days before Christmas, Saint Peter Canisius must be honored to be remembered as an inspiration for trusting God in doing much, even with little.

I won't even begin to go into all of the jobs and things Saint Peter Canisius did in his lifetime, that's an essay in itself! He was an amazing man, a prominent Catholic in the counter-reformation in Germany, and Dutch (this is special because Jennifer's mother is dutch, ha ha). May we all be like Saint Peter Cansius and live out these final days of preparation for Christmas with no anxiety. Pax Christi.