A Christmas Prayer

Star of the East, the night were drear But for the tender grace That with thy glory comes to cheer Earth's loneliest, darkest place; For by that charity we see Where there is hope for all and me.

Star of the East! show us the way In wisdom undefiled To seek that manger out and lay Our gifts before the child— To bring our hearts and offer them Unto our King in Bethlehem!

Father of all men, look upon our family,
Kneeling together before Thee,
And grant us a true Christmas.

With loving heart we bless Thee:

For the gift of Thy dear Son Jesus Christ,

For the peace He brings to human homes,

For the good-will He teaches to sinful men,

For the glory of Thy goodness shining in His face.

  

With joyful voice we praise Thee:

For His lowly birth and His rest in the manger,

For the pure tenderness of His mother Mary,

For the fatherly care that protected Him,

For the Providence that saved the Holy Child

To be the Saviour of the world.

With deep desire we beseech Thee:

Help us to keep His birthday truly,

Help us to offer, in His name, our Christmas prayer.

From the sickness of sin and the darkness of doubt,
From selfish pleasures and sullen pains,

From the frost of pride and the fever of envy,

God save us every one, through the blessing of Jesus.

In the health of purity and the calm of mutual trust,
In the sharing of joy and the bearing of trouble,
In the steady glow of love and the clear light of hope,

God keep us every one, by the blessing of Jesus.

In praying and praising, in giving and receiving,
In eating and drinking, in singing and making merry,
In parents' gladness and in children's mirth,
In dear memories of those who have departed,

In good comradeship with those who are here,
In kind wishes for those who are far away,
In patient waiting, sweet contentment, generous cheer,

God bless us every one, with the blessing of Jesus.

By remembering our kinship with all men,
By well-wishing, friendly speaking and kindly doing,
By cheering the downcast and adding sunshine to daylight,
By welcoming strangers (poor shepherds or wise men),
By keeping the music of the angels' song in this home,

God help us every one to share the blessing of Jesus:

Advent Wishes

   As we enjoy all the Christmas lights and the annual Christmas parties we suddenly realize this Month is flying by way too fast. The demands of jobs and homework somehow slipped in between Christmas programs at school and the usual responsibilities. We still haven't tossed the leftover cranberry sauce from ThanksGiving and yet today marks the 3rd Sunday of Advent.

Maybe today is a Great Day to sit back and enjoy the Winter weather from the warmth and comfort of home. And a great day to be reminded of the real reason for all the shopping and festive fun.

God rest you, Chrysten gentil men, Wherever you may be,— God rest you all in fielde or hall, Or on ye stormy sea; For on this morn oure Chryst is born That saveth you and me.

 
Last night ye shepherds in ye east Saw many a wondrous thing; Ye sky last night flamed passing bright Whiles that ye stars did sing, And angels came to bless ye name Of Jesus Chryst, oure Kyng.

God rest you, Chrysten gentil men, Faring where'er you may; In noblesse court do thou no sport, In tournament no playe, In paynim lands hold thou thy hands From bloudy works this daye.

 
But thinking on ye gentil Lord That died upon ye tree, Let troublings cease and deeds of peace Abound in Chrystantie; For on this morn ye Chryst is born That saveth you and me.

Angels Sing

The beautiful melodies springing forth from all those young little Angels remind you of the simple wonders this season brings. All across the world this month we've heard the children singing songs of Christmas. Children must be one of God's most awesome gifts to us.

Star of the East, that long ago
Brought wise men on their way
Where, angels singing to and fro,
The Child of Bethlehem lay—
Above that Syrian hill afar
Thou shinest out to-night, O Star!

Star of the East, the night were drear
But for the tender grace
That with thy glory comes to cheer
Earth's loneliest, darkest place;
For by that charity we see
Where there is hope for all and me.

Star of the East! show us the way
In wisdom undefiled
To seek that manger out and lay
Our gifts before the child—
To bring our hearts and offer them
Unto our King in Bethlehem!

They sang of Bethlehem and the manger and the Babe; they sang of love and charity, till all the Christmas air seemed full of angel voices.
Carol of the Christmas morn—
Carol of the Christ-child born—
Carol to the list'ning sky
Till it echoes back again
"Glory be to God on high,
Peace on earth, good will tow'rd men!"

Believe in God and Santa Claus!

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

Why do the bells of Christmas ring?
Why do little children sing?

Once a lovely shining star,
Seen by shepherds from afar,
Gently moved until its light
Made a manger's cradle bright.

There a darling baby lay,
Pillowed soft upon the hay;
And its mother sung and smiled:
"This is Christ, the holy Child!"

Therefore bells for Christmas ring,
Therefore little children sing.

The Spirit of Christmas

And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?

He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

Luke 3:10-11

How blessed, O Lord, to depend only upon Thee ... behold me, Thy child, waiting with outstretched hand to receive Thy benefits.

Grant me my temporal blessings,—clothing, nourishment, shelter ... but not too much of anything; and let me have the happiness of sharing my blessings with those poorer than myself to-day. Grant me the blessing of intelligence, that I may read, or hear one of those golden counsels that elevate the soul, and lend wings to the thoughts.

Grant me the loving heart, O my Father! that I may feel for a moment how I love Thee, and Thy love towards me; let me sacrifice myself for the welfare of another. Give me the Bread of Life, the Holy Eucharist! I have just received it, Lord! Grant me again ere long that great blessing.

And then, give all these blessings to those I love, and who love me!

O Jesus! seeking some one as faithful dispenser of Thy blessings, grant much to me, that I may have much to bestow on others. Grant that my hands may dispense Thine alms, that they may be as Thine, when Thou didst wash the feet of Thine Apostles, working for all, helping all; let me never forget that, like Thee, I am placed on this earth to minister, not to be ministered unto.

Grant that my lips may speak comforting words and give forth cheering smiles, that I may be as the well by the roadside, where the weary traveller stoops to drink, as the shade of the tree whose branches laden with fruit are extended over all that pass beneath.

O Jesus! to Whom all Thy children are so dear, and whatever they may be Thou carest for them, and rememberest they are the much-loved children of God! Oh! grant that in all my interactions with others, I may only see, love, and care for their souls, that soul for whom, O God, Thou hast died, who like myself can call Thee Father, and with whom, near Thee, I hope to dwell, throughout the ages of Eternity.

Rejoice in God

And Mary said, "My soul doth magnify the Lord,

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour." Luke 1: 46-47

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS.
Where love takes, let love give, and so doubt not:
Love counts but the will,
And the heart has its flowers of devotion
No winter can chill;
They who cared for "good will" that first Christmas
Will care for it still.

—A.A. Procter


At the end of the day many of the gifts will be long forgotten - or but a pleasant memory. Here's hoping our beloved children will remember the joy of Christmas for generations. And may their hearts long hold comfort and peace in the words of our Lord!

The Electronic Babysitter

On the drive into the city this morning I heard a disturbing statistic. The average child today is spending 45 hours each week playing video games or watching TV or sitting in front of a computer. I don’t know about your children – but mine aren’t exactly using their computer to learn! They like to play games on their PC – or watch cartoons on the cartoon channel web-site.

These same researchers are suggesting that all this time spent in front of video and TV screens is partially to blame for childhood obesity and behavior problems both in school and down the road. You THINK?

What happened to playing outside? Sometimes I wish I had never bought them that silly playstation. Or that other $125 babysitter – his Nintendo gameboy. Last night I had to threaten taking away his game time on his computer before the eldest son would sit down and read with me. I imagine I’m nowhere near the first parent to encounter some resistance when it comes to homework time.

This summer we picked up new bikes for both the older boys. They had outgrown last year’s models. Neither new bike saw much use this past Summer. The gameboys on the other hand… Well, you get the picture. What will their lives be like when they get into FaceBook or MySpace or wherever else youth spend their online time?

Maybe this Christmas I’ll buy them both basketballs – or soccer balls. Maybe I’ll get them a couple of fishing poles and tackle boxes. Or a good book to read!

Or, maybe I'll get them something good to watch while they do watch TV -
VeggieTales DVD Library - The Complete Collection

The Perfect Christmas Gift

Growing up in the pre- video game era, we had entirely different entertainment options than the youngsters of today. We actually went outside to play! We did watch the TV at night and some Saturday mornings we’d watch cartoons.

My little guys still enjoy cartoons on Saturday mornings – much like many of us did in our early years! I was happy to hear my son laughing last Saturday while he watched an early morning cartoon show. I looked over to see what had him so amused and found him laughing repeatedly at Tom and Jerry! I think I used to enjoy that same cartoon when I was his age.

Sometimes it seems like he only enjoys today’s ultra outrageous, overly violent cartoons. Cartoons like Ben 10, Bakugan, and Pokemon are just three of his favorites. It used to be Power Rangers until his mean old Dad decided that one was too violent. In recent years I‘ve tried to discourage that kind of violence based entertainment. Although at times I think we’ve only ended up trading one violent show for another. That Ben 10 kid is always fighting some unbelievable bad guy.

What happened to Scooby Doo? I can’t recall Anyone ever getting hurt in a Scooby Doo cartoon!

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could get our children interested in less violent entertainment diversions? I realize we might not sell as many Chinese made plastic toys covered in who knows what kind of undesirable substance! And heaven forbid if the big cereal makers have to advertise during more wholesome family shows.

Maybe this Christmas I’ll introduce them to an old childhood favorite of mine. A cartoon where nobody gets shot by a futuristic ray-gun. Maybe I’ll turn them onto a cartoon where no one gets in a fight or a battle! A show with a decided absence of violence.

Maybe I’ll introduce them to a harmless tale filled with lessons of love. A saga where happy children have fun with each other in a safe environment. There is sure to be some typical childrens taunting and teasing. And still, in the end, all is well. And love fills the air!

I think this Christmas I’ll introduce my children to that age old classic –A Charlie Brown Christmas (Remastered Deluxe Edition)