Are you preparing spiritually for Christmas?

  • Thread starter Thread starter blessedstar
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Well I wish I never started the thread, seems I can’t think about spiritual preparation until I am in advent. To be honest I didn’t expect people to respond like this and I am a little disappointed.

I’ll take a leave of absence.🙂

In the Living Prayer of my life
 
I must say that I am thrilled to see other people looking ahead to Christmas too! Of course we’re not going to start our Advent practices right this minute, but starting the “pre-planning” now is great! 👍

I mean, in our family we strive to finish our Christmas shopping by Halloween, or at the very latest (for some hard-to-buy-for people), Thanksgiving. You won’t see us wrestling the crowds on Black Friday! 😃 And we try writing one or two Christmas cards a day starting in October or so.

So if we’re physically preparing for Christmas a couple of months ahead of time, what is so preposterous about starting some of the spiritual planning as well? I don’t want to land in the First Week of Advent and be scrambling around looking for ways to celebrate the season. It’s my favorite liturgical season and I want to know what I’ll be doing and when! 🙂 Sure I might change things around when we get there, but at least I’ll have a general “game plan” if that makes sense.

This morning my husband and I were talking about canceling our online movie rental service at the end of this month, and keeping it off until after Christmas. Admittedly, the idea initially came to us because he’s going to be needing to spend more time studying in the evenings now, which leaves little time to spend watching TV. (We don’t have TV service either, so we watch rentals or nothing).
 
blessedstar said:
I am plainly out of sync with the Gospel and the Church then I see and I’d better stop praying the Magnificat daily because its far too Christmassy for ths time of year! and I better drop meditating upon certain mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary too. Whenever the Cross is mentioned outside of Easter I’d better close my ears and not consider the merits of the Cross nor attempt to strive to pick up my cross daily because it plainly isn’t seasonal.:rotfl:

In the Living Prayer of my life
Click to expand...
did I tell others what to do? no I did not. you asked what I am doing, and I told you. if you don’t want to hear my answer, don’t ask.
 
This was a bit harsh, Blessedstar. Others have also said that they are not anticipating the Christmas season and you did not lay into them like this!

I am also not anticipating Christmas or Advent. Since my family have just joined the Church this past Easter, we are enjoying each season and feast as they come along! We want to slowly ‘unwrap’ and savor each moment of this first year!
blessedstar said:
I am plainly out of sync with the Gospel and the Church then I see and I’d better stop praying the Magnificat daily because its far too Christmassy for ths time of year! and I better drop meditating upon certain mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary too. Whenever the Cross is mentioned outside of Easter I’d better close my ears and not consider the merits of the Cross nor attempt to strive to pick up my cross daily because it plainly isn’t seasonal.:rotfl:

The Liturgical calendar isn’t put there to put the Gospel in a rigid box nor to stop people considering the Sacred Mysteries, it is there to help people to pray and meditate upon them so that they are not ommitted from their prayer and thanksgiving and ensure that God is given thanks for all things; there is nothing wrong with multi-tasking!😃

In the Living Prayer of my life
Click to expand...
 
Dear Blessed Star…I do tend to agree with Sr. Sally. The title of the thread was a question and other’s have answered it in the main, each from their own perspective. Some may not be at this time spiritually preparing for Christmas. No need for upset/distress, it simply means we are different and to be celebrated I should think?

Blessings and Peace…Barb:)
 
Consider the thread closed. Christmas is off topic until Advent.

If I have been perceived as uncharitable then I apologise, but things are never as they first appear and first appearances should not lead to judgement.

In the Living Prayer of my life.
 
Only 2 1/2 months to go. I remember when I was a lot younger, our parish started to practice things for Christmas - such as: singing, plays, and designing for Nativity.

Spiritually, I am not thinking of Christmas at the moment, but in fact, when I prayed the 14 Station of the Cross yesterday, I was looking at Jesus carrying the Cross on one of the Station and the Child Jesus on a Stain glass next to this station … and have a little thought on that.

God bless.
 
I think that Advent is my favorite season. I was baptized during the Easter season (April 21, 1968), and confirmed at Pentecost (May 15, 2005). I tend to think of Pentecost as “my” solemnity, in the sense that I identify with it the most – that was the day I became a fully-initiated Catholic. I will be getting married during the Christmas season this year – December 29.

But I love Advent. One of my favorite memories from childhood was having my own little Christmas tree in my room and playing my record of German and Austrian Christmas carols on my record player. I liked to turn the lights off so that the only light in the room came from the lights on the tree. I love the passage in Luke’s Gospel where the angels tell the shepherds of Our Lord’s birth. (Can you imagine looking into the night sky and seeing “a multitude of the heavenly host”?)

But I think that I love Advent most of all because that is when Jesus became real for me. If anyone were to ask me why I am a Catholic, why I believe, I would say that it is because “I believe in the One Who revealed Himself to me.”

And that happened at a wedding in New Hampshire on the Saturday of the first week of Advent, 2004. At some point the priest said that when two people get married in the church, it’s not just the two people. A third person enters the marriage with them, and that person is Jesus.

At that moment, He became real to me. He was there. I could see Him. He was standing there at the altar with His hands on the shoulders of the bride and groom, and He looked over at me and said, “We will talk.”

And at that moment, I thought to myself, “I know that my Redeemer lives.”

I look forward to Advent, when the whole liturgical cycle begins again, every year. May it always be so.
 
What a beautiful and warming story! It is also well written.
Congratulations on your coming marriage. You sure have commenced and moved into your journey with Jesus to date in a wonderful and exemplary way. I am almost envious.

God’s Blessings on you and yours, and His Peace…Barb:)
 
BarbaraTherese said:
What a beautiful and warming story! It is also well written.
Congratulations on your coming marriage. You sure have commenced and moved into your journey with Jesus to date in a wonderful and exemplary way. I am almost envious.

God’s Blessings on you and yours, and His Peace…Barb:)
Click to expand...
Oh, if you only knew the half of it! Sometimes I wish I could flee to Australia!

(Actually, she calls me a “wombat.” It’s a little joke between us.)

Thank you, though. I really need to write a letter to that priest.
 
CapaxDei said:
Oh, if you only knew the half of it! Sometimes I wish I could flee to Australia!

(Actually, she calls me a “wombat.” It’s a little joke between us.)

Thank you, though. I really need to write a letter to that priest.
Click to expand...
You would be very welcome here in Australia - a great country and we are a very easy going and friendly people. Perhaps one day you may get the opportunity to visit/holiday here. Wombat’s are beautiful cuddly little creatures…but they have dreadfully strong and sharp claws - and that is not a veiled reference to you…just a bit of info re our Aussie wombats.

Do write a letter to Father - his words to you were beautiful and words to live by - an inspirational indeed marriage message. Very often I may know well how to criticize but can be a bit slow on the gratitude and saying a well earnt thank you. Again congratulaltions on your coming marriage and may your journey be joyous strengthened by your mutual love and Faith.

Have you read St. Paul’s beautiful words re marriage:
St. Paul to the Ephesians - Chapter 5
“21 Being subject one to another, in the fear of Christ. 22 Let women be subject to their husbands, as to the Lord: 23 Because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. He is the saviour of his body. *24 *Therefore as The Church is subject to Christ, so also let your wives be to their husbands in all things. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the church, and delivered himself up for it”

Marriage witnesses to the Love Christ has for His Church and His Unity with The Church…therein a great challenge to marriage and a lifetime’s work. I ramble!

God’s Many Blessings and His Peace to you and yours…Barb:)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top