"An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
Dear John,
When I was young, easily the best part of my year was Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve was the night that my mother's side of the family all came together at my grandparents house to celebrate Christmas. All of my cousins and I played together below the enormous Christmas tree until it was time to "look for Santa." Then we would all cram into the car with my uncles, who would drive us all around Cincinnati to look in the sky for Santa. Lo and behold, when we arrived back at the house, Santa had been there and left all our presents.
Before the Christmas feast and the presents, my Uncle Charles would read the passage above with the family Bible as we all prayed together. I remember even when I was young the peaceful stillness that seemed to enter the room when the passage was read. The magic of the presents, the delicious feast that my grandmother put on, and the "looking for Santa" couldn't compare to the beauty of that moment when we all were reminded of the true meaning of Christmas.
We hope that, despite the many differences in this year's Christmas, you are still able to pause and reflect on the beauty of the season.
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Merry Christmas from all of us at Franciscan Media.
Blessings,
Margie Powell
Annual Giving Manager
