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Friends,



It’s only early November, but there is already a buzz in the air as the holidays approach – I think often that as we near Christmas, the birth of Jesus, God graces us with this buzz, a feeling of a lingering joy, as a glimpse of the joy and life that He offers and gives us, and that He wants to offer everyone.






The Holiday season is indeed a lovely time: there are so many customs like time off from work and school, beautiful decorations and culture like movies and music, Santa Claus, and it’s for sure a time of love, joy, family, relationships. But we must remember its root and source – Jesus is the reason for the season. And so, we should make it a point every Christmas to deepen, or start, our life with Jesus; like on the very first Christmas day, we should allow Jesus to be born, but in our lives, and take action to allow Him to be born in the world, in other people’s lives. For Catholics, this can be through the Sacraments, and in Advent practices. Non-Catholics and all people of goodwill can also participate in some of these practices. We are all called as well to take action in our relationships.



One of the most common practices around the Holidays is the Christmas tree, a wonderful practice that started in Europe long ago. The tree is a reflection of the Cross of Jesus, which is often compared to the “tree” of the Garden of Eden: Adam and Eve’s experience with this tree in the Garden brought death to the world, but Jesus’ Cross, light and life! (Barber, 187)






Similarly, Christmas lights spark joy in us when we see them, especially those impressive installations of so many lights. The lights are a reflection of the Divine light that comes to shine in our lives at Christmas, Jesus (Archdiocese of New Orleans). In his “Benedictus,” another sort-of song, similar to Mary’s “Magnificat,” St. Zecheriah, St. John the Baptist’s father, talks of Jesus when he mentions, that because of God’s great mercy:



“…the daybreak from on high will visit us, to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow…” (Gospel of Luke chapter 1)



Similarly, when Jesus visits one of the outer towns of the Holy Land, He fulfills one of the prophecies about Him:



“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,
…the people who sit in darkness
have seen a great light,
on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death
light has arisen.” (Gospel of Matthew chapter 4)



This is us and our lives; this is me and mine, praise God!



The Catholic Church has a wonderful Blessing of a Christmas tree that I highly recommend to all, and it too contains a wonderful invocation of light:



“Lord God,
let your blessing come upon us
as we illumine this tree.
May the light and cheer it gives
be a sign of the joy that fills our hearts.
May all who delight in this tree
come to the knowledge and joy of salvation.”



(The Blessing takes about 10-15 minutes because it includes a hymn, scripture options, and different prayers, so feel free to make a small event out of it!)



As Jesus comes to bring light and eternal life into our lives, Christmas is that perfect time to deepen, or start, our lives with Christ. For Catholics, if we haven’t been to Confession in a while, it’s a great time to reconcile with God and make a decisive turn toward Him. A great practice for all of us, if we don’t already, is to commit to the Sunday obligation, to commit for the rest of our lives to go to Mass on Sundays, and for those who have children, with our kids, and if married, to make every effort to invite our spouse.



The Catholic practice during Advent also gives us ideas on how to deepen our practice of our relationship with Jesus; the Church always talks of “prayer, fasting, and almsgiving” during this time of Advent, the four Sundays leading up to Christmas day. My congregation was recommended in past Advents to commit to one item in each of these practices, for example, an increase in prayer, which can be a bead prayer like the Rosary or Divine Mercy chaplet, or a novena; an increase in fasting, like in Lent, giving something up during Advent or a smaller fast; an increase in almsgiving, giving of your time, talent, or treasure to the Church or your neighbor, including family.



In terms of giving of our treasure, our money, to others, I’m reminded of the lovely, 1984-rendition of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. Ebenezer Scrooge, the man who notoriously has zero liking for Christmas, is asked to give alms, so that the poor and needy can delight in “meat and drink, and food and warmth,” if only during this Christmas time (00:10:00-00:12:00). We are asked the same if we are able!







The idea of these practices is that they make room in your soul for God, and if they involve others, like prayer for the needs of your family, friends, the Church, or the World, or almsgiving to those who are in need, you are helping to grow and build the Kingdom of God; you are helping Jesus be born in the world and in others’ hearts, as He so wants to be, and God will also bless you. In case that during the rest of the year, prayer, fasting, or almsgiving aren’t a big part of our lives in any given month, we are also called to commit to these at least some time during any given month, so that we can continue to deepen our devotional lives and build God’s Kingdom and spread His light and joy.



We can also take action in our relationships – with family, friends, our significant other/spouse. Forgiveness and reconciliation are beautiful fruits of our faith in God – God has forgiven and reconciled us to Him, and He had to sacrifice for this to happen, and so some are moved in faith to do the same with others, especially those they think they’ve wronged. I think of the moving scene in another great Christmas movie Home Alone where the boy and main character Kevin enters the local parish, and there meets one of his neighbors, the man who all the kids fear because many young people have made up myths about him, which of course aren’t true. In conversation, Old Man Marley confides in Kevin that he’s had conflict with his son, and so, is afraid to reach out to him. Kevin, as kids so often do, speaks without a filter, but it actually turns out to be helpful: “If you miss him, why don’t you call him?” (1:06:00-1:11:00) What if our family, friends, significant others/spouses, who we’ve been afraid to reconcile with in case they may reject us, actually want to reconcile too? And in case they don’t accept reconciliation, we at least did our part.




Various media related to Home Alone



Friends, the holidays, especially around Christmas time, are a joyous, fun, and warm time, full of customs, tradition, and many of them family-oriented. But we must remember that Jesus is the reason for the season! Let us live this truth by a deepening of our faith for those who are Catholic through our practice, by seeking Confession and Sunday Mass, and by practice during Advent, especially of prayer and almsgiving, though all, including non-Catholics, are invited to also show their generosity. And another way we can live Christmas is to seek to reconcile with others we’ve been wanting to.



I sincerely hope you enjoy the season: the lovely decorations, the inspiring lights, time with those closest to you if it’s possible, and wonderful pastimes, music, movies, and other traditions. And if you get a chance, enjoy the 1984 Christmas Carol and Home Alone.



Abundant blessings to you and yours, and please be assured of my prayers for you during this Holiday time.



Juan B

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Citations:

A Christmas Carol. Directed by Clive Donner. 20th Century Fox, 1984.

Archdiocese of New Orleans, “Christian Meaning of Christmas Decorations”, https://nolacatholic.org/christian-meaning-of-christmas-decorations…shortened. Accessed 30 Oct 2025

Barber, Dr. Michael (2021). The True Meaning of Christmas: The Birth of Jesus and the Origins of the Season. Ignatius Press, Augustine Institute

Home Alone. Directed by Chris Columbus. 20th Century Fox, 1990.



Image credits

1 – Licensed
2 – Licensed
3 – IMDB, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087056/ Accessed 1 Nov 2025
4 – 20th Century Studios, https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=cb7756d4f0035d55&udm=2&fbs=…shortened Accessed 1 Nov 2025
5 – From Home Alone movie, Disney+
6 – From Home Alone movie, Disney+


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