These weeks I find my email inbox is flooded with all kinds of inspirational holiday messages, and my kids excitedly check the mail each afternoon to be the first to bring the next round of daily Christmas cards upstairs for our reading pleasure. I am reminded daily of our extended community and of the power of expressing cheer and gratitude. I am grateful and humbled. I love this time of year.
Today I share a few excerpts that have touched my heart these weeks. Blessings to you and yours throughout these holiday weeks ahead!
Reflection on Presence- Sr. Kathleen Hughes
God communicates with us through our experiences.
It takes time and practice to pay attention.
Reflection on Advent Joy (from St. Agnes Church) – Henri Nouwen
Henri Nouwen beautifully captures the spirit of Advent when he writes, “Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.” Advent teaches us to seek joy not in fleeting things but in the quiet assurance that God is with us.
Let us reflect on Nouwen’s words: “Waiting is never a movement from nothing to something. It is always a movement from something to something more.” The joy we celebrate today is rooted in this hope—that Christ’s coming transforms our waiting into fulfillment and our longing into peace.
Keeping the Faith 