I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas (and the rest of the year, too!)

Reflections at Midnight on Christmas Morning:

I feel like a kid again. I haven’t felt this way in a long time. I can’t sleep. But it’s not a bad feeling—I feel anxious and joyful and can’t wait for morning to open the gifts and see the faces of my family as they exchange their tokens of love.

Sarah was also up until almost midnight with the same Christmas anticipation she suffers every year. This is probably terrible to say, but I came out to get my rosary and told Sarah, “Maybe if I say another rosary, I’ll fall asleep—it’s usually what happens anyway when I say it late at night.” She said she understood, and that it’s probably because of the meditative nature of the prayer. I didn’t say so, but I thanked God silently for blessing me with such an insightful child.

Anyway, two rosaries and a Divine Mercy later, I’m still wide-awake! So I’ll take the opportunity to write my first entry for Christmas Day, 2009. I only hope I’m not so tired that it sounds like rambling.

At the Christmas Vigil Mass it was SRO. Just like it is on Easter Sunday. Just like it will be (probably) for all Masses today. And on Sunday it will be back to “normal”, with maybe 65-70% of the pews filled at each Mass with the faithful. It’s not my place to judge the “C&E” brethren, but I can comment on the phenomenon.

Have you ever been somewhere when it is snowing? It’s quite beautiful when the snow starts coming down and turning everything white. It makes me feel like God is covering the entire Earth with His love and protection. It reminds me of the passage in Revelation (7: 13-17):

Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, "Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?"

I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who knows." He said to me, "These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

"For this reason they stand before God's throne and worship him day and night in his temple. The one who sits on the throne will shelter them. They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them.

For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Now, have you ever been somewhere when there is a mixture of snow and rain? And you watch for the snow to stick to the trees or the rocks or anything else so you can revel in it? The snow may start to stick, but as soon as the rain, Sun or heat comes out, the beauty fades as quickly as it came. The C&E Catholics are like the snow that doesn’t stick. They come to Mass once or twice a year and that’s beautiful, but as soon as the Holy Day is over, they’re gone as quickly as they came. And they miss out on the “springs of life-giving water” that is created by the slower melting snow that “stuck” around, even through the rain, Sun and heat. It’s not intentional—at least for most. It is just a sign of the times. We should pray for those who don’t enjoy God’s presence weekly (or daily), that they learn the real Joy and Hope that today has brought to them.