**Making Advent a Reality (the seasons are out of whack) **
The Seasons are not out of whack. The Catholic Church is just basically a month ahead! LOL! Happy New Year!
How many Catholics are actually aware of this?
In our home, we’ve had some success over the past few years reclaiming Advent by fasting from all electronic media. That may sound difficult, but the fact is it’s quite easy — certainly easier than when we do it during Lent.
That's the spirit! Just do it! This year, reclaim Advent - enjoy it! Limit your gifts! Consider donating to those who have little or nothing - like Aid to the Church to assist in rebuilding the Chaldean Catholic Churches in Iraq. Poverty is a major problem in Lebanon. Each year, our parishioners give to a needy family in Lebanon. On December 23, our pastor wires the funds collected to a specific individual in Lebanon who ensures that ALL of what has been collected is distributed to one or several (if there is enough money) families. They received the money on Christmas Even with sufficient time to purchase food for their Christmas table and a few small gifts for the children.
The Christmas season begins on Christmas Day and lasts for two weeks. Go out and enjoy all of the splendor with your family. Make this the year you turn off the news and tune in to the festivities offered up in your local parish. You will never regret it.
How many Catholics are actually aware of this?
In our home, we’ve had some success over the past few years reclaiming Advent by fasting from all electronic media. That may sound difficult, but the fact is it’s quite easy — certainly easier than when we do it during Lent.
That's the spirit! Just do it! This year, reclaim Advent - enjoy it! Limit your gifts! Consider donating to those who have little or nothing - like Aid to the Church to assist in rebuilding the Chaldean Catholic Churches in Iraq. Poverty is a major problem in Lebanon. Each year, our parishioners give to a needy family in Lebanon. On December 23, our pastor wires the funds collected to a specific individual in Lebanon who ensures that ALL of what has been collected is distributed to one or several (if there is enough money) families. They received the money on Christmas Even with sufficient time to purchase food for their Christmas table and a few small gifts for the children.
The Christmas season begins on Christmas Day and lasts for two weeks. Go out and enjoy all of the splendor with your family. Make this the year you turn off the news and tune in to the festivities offered up in your local parish. You will never regret it.
My parish has a Christmas tree that is setup as a Heart and Hands giving tree. The tree has just lights and heart and mitten hands contruction paper designs with requests for certain donations for those in need, either children or adults.
"Happy New Year"
I agree that it is necessary to turn off the media, but not just during Advent. TV is a huge monster that we are allowing into our homes and should be shunned completely. I can understand the author’s fellings about the build up to Christmas and the apparent let down after when Christmas appears to be dropped. But I thinkthat it is a good thing that Christmas permeates our culture even if is during advent. It gives a great opportunity to express Christian values, sentiments and thoughts that would otherwise be lacking if our culture completely turned it’s back on Christmas. We can stretch Christmas as long as we like and still enjoy it’s popular expressions in the culture of commercialism. What we need to do is to reclaim Christmas by entering into the process and transforming it. Chesterton once said that the Protestant Churches serve a very important roll since there are many peope who would not accept anything from the Catholic Church. Like wise without the popular flood of pre-Christmas activity many would know nothing of Christ at all. We need to be like St. Francis and go into the town square and walk around to preach the Gospel without words. The best thing that one can do for one that you love is to be there for them, even when they don’t want you around.