Long Walk

A woman whose husband died six months before Christmas, sat down to write out a Christmas card to a close friend. This is what she said: “Some say to me, ‘This first Christmas without your husband will be hard for you.’ It will be, of course. But without Christmas, my life would be impossible.”

At the time of her husband’s death, that woman thought that God had turned out the light. But then came the Christmas Message to remind her that God had reached out and turned on the light for all time and for all people.

As Christmas draws near, we direct our thoughts to the Historical Jesus. We think about Jesus coming into the world at a specific time in a specific place. We think of that child of poverty, born in a stable amidst the warm breath of cattle and sheep. We think of the Holy Family, and heavenly choirs and adoring shepherds. For a brief moment, our Christmas thoughts are…