So I wrote this long sentimental letter about why I am thankful for Jesus. I do really mean it but it seemed a little much to write to the people I love. So I decided to post it here, and give people a link if they were courageous.
Happy Christmas and a Joyous New Year!
It is with a little hesitation that I share this with you because it can seem cliche, or fake, or tired, but it is nonetheless becoming more clear to me the older I get. The most important thing that ever happend to me was the birth of Christ. I was introduced to him before I could talk, and I have hung out with his devotees all my life, yet it is only as I grow in age, and I hope wisdom, that I begin to truly suspect the grace I have been given..
Jesus seems to have also been introduced to faith from before he could talk. His mother was as much the people of Israel, and Moses, as it was our dear lady, Mary. They nurtured and cradled him and were the shoulders he stood upon, and so to love him is to love his family. So to her, and to the Jewish people and faith I owe immense love and respect. May I be a devoted friend.
Jesus himself loved people. The gospels say he had a special place in his heart for the outcast, the neglected, the unloved, the poor, the sick and the lost. He also loved, though he also seems to have had little patience with, those who felt better or more important than others. He loved his rag tag band of disciples and trusted them with his mission, and that proves that he has great faith in humanity even if humanity does not always return the favor. Trusting his disciples seems like a really bad plan to me, especially given what I know of them from the gospels. Nonetheless, though it was a very bad plan, it does seem more or less to have worked. They have kept the word and mission more or less going, and I am thankful to the holy Apostles and all the Saints, because without them I would not have known Jesus..
I have far less faith in myself than Jesus seems to have in me. St. John writes of Jesus that the light shined in the darkness and the darkness did not overwhelm it. I will admit that my head stays buried in darkness far more than it should, even though if I will only open the eyes of my heart his light will shine bright. I bring him less devotion than he deserves. I follow his ways with far less attention than I should. I frequently find I put other things before him, yet, when I realize my need for him, I sometimes come to my senses, and remember again that I have no greater treasure in life than his love.
So I feel a bit vulnerable writing this to you, but if I did not I would be holding back on you, and you deserve my best. Perhaps you do not share this sentiment or faith with me, and that is okay. I trust that God is working in your life, and I trust you to follow the call you hear in your heart in the way you deem best. I do, however, ask you the favor of sharing my joy with me on this great feast, if for no other reason than the friendship we share. Isaiah wrote many years ago the words made famous by chant and music:"Unto us a son is given, unto us a child is born ... and his name shall be Wonderful, Counselor, Prince of Peace, the Everlasting Father" I celebrate this Christmas the birth of him who is my friend, my lover, my savior, my lord..
Happy Birthday, Jesus. Happy Christmas, Everyone. May God bless us each and every one, May our hearts and lives shine bright with the light.
Yours,
John
