Having heard the angels sing, having followed the shepherds to the manger; having gathered with our faith community to celebrate that most sacred night; having come together with family and friends to celebrate our love and friendship; now what? How do we extend the blessings of this day beyond the day, and throughout the year?
The joy of Christmas is the promise of a new world; A world transformed by God’s taking on our flesh and dwelling among us. The coming of a light the world cannot extinguish. However, the world cannot be transformed without us. We are called to participate with God in creating the world that Christmas promises. God will not transform the world without us, And we cannot transform it without God.
So we continue to gather with our faith community to celebrate the Eucharist so that we can be transformed. Then, being transformed ourselves, we work to bring about the new world that Christmas promises.
We commit ourselves to serve the needs of others with the same passion and generosity that seems to come naturally during the Christmas Season and continue to share with others the love that we experience this Christmas Day.
Perhaps the best way to celebrate Christmas beyond Christmas Day is to commit ourselves to the three pillars of St. Isidore Church:
CONNECT with God;
REACH others;
BUILD community.
-Fr. Ron