“In Advent,” Bishop Loverde shared in a Zoom reflection from Trinity House recently, “we actually recall three comings of the Lord Jesus.” He went on to paraphrase a homily by St. Bernard of Clairvaux in which he proposed that in addition to the Nativity and His final coming, Jesus comes to us every day.
As the cold, dark weather ramps up in the season of giving, it would be hard not to notice how Jesus indeed comes to us every day in the poor. Like you, we have a long prayer list of suffering friends and family: the recently bereaved, those struggling with a serious illness, the unemployed, the depressed, the lonely. We also have a long to-do list of what we’d still like to accomplish so that our family can enjoy the nicest Christmas possible.
Two friends are recently bereaved in tragic circumstances. Two friends are fighting late-stage cancer. Several are unemployed. Elderly neighbors who recently moved to a retirement community shared with us yesterday that 33 of their fellow residents have Covid. By contrast, our kids are watching Christmas movies by a roaring fire and baking treats in a well-stocked kitchen while we clean, wrap, and put the last, satisfying touches on a year of hard work.
As much as it is tempting to say that we will tend to Jesus in His “distressing disguises” after Christmas, after we’ve treated our families to the best holiday we can muster, we have to stop and ask ourselves—why is the contrast between these two lists so great? And what can we do to decrease it?
As we journey into these final days before we celebrate our Lord’s first coming, we’re challenging ourselves in a specific way. Let’s find something on that second list that we wanted to do for our families (one more shopping trip, another Christmas movie)—and give it up. And with the time that opens up, let’s do something special for someone on our prayer list.
Of course, it’s a good thing that we’re busy making Christmas special for our families. But this time can be all the more special if we make room over the next few days—which will then extend into the octave of Christmas—to serve our suffering friends and family. Whatever it is—a call to say “I’m thinking about you,” a meal, card, or other gesture—we should be welcoming Jesus’ third coming today, as we encounter and serve Him in others.
Come, Lord Jesus!
Heaven in Your Home Toolkit
In his Christmas letter, Arlington Bishop Michael Burbidge write, “This Christmas, may we become more fully a dwelling place of the Word by entrusting our challenges, crosses, and very lives to his infinite love and divine mercy.”
“Three Last-Minute Christmas Gift Ideas that Everyone Loves” (Aleteia) touches on the theme of this week’s e-letter by suggesting a “gift of service” or “spiritual bouquet.”
In “Christmas Looks Different this Year” (Arlington Catholic Herald), Mary Beth Bonacci shares a great observation: there was nothing “normal” about the first Christmas, and Mary arguably had to “wing it” in extraordinary circumstances. “And so, this year I’m going to try to emulate Mary. I’m going to trust God in the midst of some very real fears and stresses, especially surrounding my parents.”
In “If You’re Struggling with the Holidays — Read This, There is Hope” (OSV News), Michael O’Rourke, a father of 10, has some good advice about a gift we can all give one another this Christmas: “Give the gift of a cherishing gaze.”
“Family life is a mystery,” writes Dr. Timothy O’Malley in a reflection anticipating this Sunday’s Feast of the Holy Family, “a space where divine love can enflesh itself through the mundane complexities of awaiting kids, raising kids and worrying about kids. The task of the family is to take the time to see the mystery of love made present in the stunningly mundane task of creating a home.” Read more in his “Opening the Word: The Mystery of Family Life” (OSV News).
Can you consider a year-end gift of $25, $50, $100, $250 or more to support the life-changing ministry of Trinity House Community today? All first-time gifts will be matched dollar for dollar, thanks to a generous match challenge by supporters. We invite you to help us meet this match challenge by making a secure, online gift today. Thank you!
We invite you to check out some special videos at “Your Gift—and Your Impact on the Family” on the Trinity House Community website. And it’s not too late to be inspired by a special Advent reflection from Bishop Emeritus Paul Loverde!
Still need to find something for someone on your list who lives in the northern Virginia / DC area? You can purchase an e-gift card from Trinity House Cafe at this link, and even schedule the delivery to arrive in your loved one’s inbox on Christmas Day (or you can purchase it for yourself, print up the code, and include it in a card/gift for someone else).
“Trinity House Cafe remains a place of peace, a place for people to relax and often have meaningful conversations… The mission of the Cafe is really one of planting seeds.”Please Join Us In Prayer
That we might experience the peace and joy of the Nativity of our Lord this Christmas;
For safety and healing for all those impacted by the current surge in COVID-19, and for all medical personnel;
For those struggling with despair, depression, anxiety, and mental illness, that we might seek to love and encourage them;
For the ministry of Trinity House Community, including the staff of Trinity House Cafe, and all individuals and families who are seeking to reflect the life of the Trinity in their homes.
In Christ,
Soren & Ever Johnson
Founders & Directors
Trinity House Community
Making Home a Little Taste of Heaven
