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Take time to be aware that in the very midst of our busy preparations for the celebration of Christ’s birth in ancient Bethlehem, Christ is reborn in the Bethlehems of our homes and daily lives. Take time, slow down, be still, be awake to the Divine Mystery that looks so common and so ordinary yet is wondrously present.
- Edward Hays, A Pilgrim's Almanac
(Take time . . . )
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Is 25:6-10a; Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
Mt 15:29-37
At that time:
Jesus walked by the Sea of Galilee,
went up on the mountain, and sat down there.
Great crowds came to him,
having with them the lame, the blind, the deformed, the mute,
and many others.
They placed them at his feet, and he cured them.
The crowds were amazed when they saw the mute speaking,
the deformed made whole,
the lame walking,
and the blind able to see,
and they glorified the God of Israel.
Jesus summoned his disciples and said,
“My heart is moved with pity for the crowd,
for they have been with me now for three days
and have nothing to eat.
I do not want to send them away hungry,
for fear they may collapse on the way.”
The disciples said to him,
“Where could we ever get enough bread in this deserted place
to satisfy such a crowd?”
Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?”
“Seven,” they replied, “and a few fish.”
He ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.
Then he took the seven loaves and the fish,
gave thanks, broke the loaves,
and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.
They all ate and were satisfied.
They picked up the fragments left over–seven baskets full.
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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“Behold our God, to Whom we looked to save us! This is the Lord for Whom we looked.” —Isaiah 25:9
Christmas is Christ’s coming in the next few weeks in a new, powerful, and much needed way. Christmas is not just a remembrance; it is a present reality. Therefore, Christmas will soon be either one of the best things that has ever happened to us or a sadly missed opportunity.
When Christ comes this Christmastime, He will provide for us richly. Jesus will “destroy the veil” which keeps us in the dark, free us from the web “woven over all nations,” “destroy death forever,” “wipe away the tears from all faces,” and remove our reproach (Is 25:6-8). The Lord will apply His salvation to the practical details of our lives (Is 25:9). This Christmas, Jesus will especially cure “cripples, the deformed, the
blind, the mute, and many others besides” (Mt 15:30). The Lord will take our inadequacies and miraculously multiply our very little to provide for the very many (see Mt 15:32ff).
Because Christmas is Christ’s coming in such power and glory, we are not ready to receive Him. Therefore, we must prepare to believe and receive Him more deeply by our repentance, discipline, penance, service, and evangelization during the Advent season. Because Christmas is so great, Advent is so needed. Prepare the way of the Lord (Lk 3:4).
Prayer: Father, prepare me for an unprecedented manifestation of Christ’s glory this Christmas season.
Promise: “The result was great astonishment in the crowds as they beheld the mute speaking, the deformed made sound, cripples walking about, and the blind seeing. They glorified the God of Israel.” —Mt 15:31
Presentation Ministries
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Growing in Inner Freedom: A Guide for Today
- by Philip St. Romain. Liguori Publ., 1986.
18. Cultivate a Sense of Humor
“A wise man (or woman) is known as such when first met.
A man’s attire, his hearty laughter and his gait,
proclaim him for what he is” (Sirach 19:25-26).
Reader’s Digest has an intriguing section entitled, “Laughter, the Best Medicine.” “Laugh and the world laughs with you,” goes another saying. Recent studies by scientists are proving that these slogans are more than just catchy cliches.
In his landmark book, On Aggression, Nobel Prize winner Konrad Lorenz recommends laughter as one of our greatest assets for discharging stress and aggression. Laughter also deepens bonds between those who laugh together, Lorenz notes. Coming at it from an entirely different direction, brain researchers have noted the connections between laughter and insight. As Dr. Jean Houston writes, “‘Ah-ha!’ and ‘Ha-ha!’ are neurological bedfellows.”
There is an unhealthy laughter, of course, such as when we jeer in ridicule at another. Few experiences hurt more than being mocked. Perhaps the reason derision causes so much pain and alienation is because it is such a gross perversion of a powerful spiritual force.
Healthy laughter is sensitive to irony and to the absurd twists we encounter in the realities of our lives. Cultivating a healthy sense of humor will, therefore, require that we stop taking ourselves so seriously and begin to laugh at our mistakes, vanities, and grandiosity.
Let us laugh often, and laugh hard—not in ridicule, but at how incredibly silly it is for us to try to play God with ourselves and other people.
Genuine, hearty laughter is a sure sign of spiritual freedom. Such laughter will keep you human, and will bring a smile to the lips of others when they think of you. We all like persons with whom we can laugh.
Suggested Practices
- Be alert for reasons to laugh.
- Seek out the company of people who have a good sense of humor and try to see what they see.
- Read something funny before going to sleep at night.
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