Christmas Eve

Over time, I've learned that less is more when it comes to presenting ideas, concepts, plans, and strategies in a clear and convincing manner. If you've ever sat through workplace presentations with endless power point slides, filled with excessive verbiage, slide after slide, as the presenter reads what's there for all to see, you'll likely have learned the less is best lesson: Get to the point with as few words, graphs, bullet points and pictures as possible.

This Advent, I applied the same lesson to my spiritual preparation. Rather than pile on special prayers, devotions, mortifications, etc., I concentrated on a few items. One example: I made the effort to focus my attention exclusively on what I was reading during my morning routine (Scripture, spiritual reading, etc.) rather than allow my mind to wander from the page to my day's work. Such efforts required extra muscle in the midst of our current C-Virus Mess. But it's worth it. 

What particularly helped, despite the Mess, was a renewed appreciation for the Liturgy of the Latin Rite of our Catholic Church. We spent considerable time on this in our Sunday posts on the final Sundays of this past Liturgical Year.

 

In the end, though, it only requires and understanding of a few simple things to prepare us for the Birth of Our Lord: Bethlehem, the Star, Mary, Joseph and the Baby in the Manger.

And so as Advent 2020 draws to a close, all thanks be to God for the graces He bestowed on us during this Holy Season of preparation. As it always does, Christmas Eve has come so quickly! It's time to put aside our work and turn to Bethlehem, the Star, Mary, Joseph and the Baby in the Manger. If you remember that less is more, that city, that star and that Holy Family will suffice to make this the best Christmas ever.

Divine Infant of Bethlehem, come and take birth in our hearts!