Missionaries of the Sacred

Since the holiday season can easily become hectic, it is important to stay focused on the true meaning of Christmas and to remember that Jesus came to establish the community of the Reign of God. When we build community and reach out to others, we experience one of the foremost meanings of Christmas. In that spirit, below are a few ideas for strengthening family and community relationships.

1. Our family is our first and often closest community. Set aside time to do activities together, focusing on ones which help everyone remember the true meaning of Christmas. Want to do a family movie night?  Try watching The Nativity Story (click here for the U.S. Bishops’ movie review). Baking cookies or decorating? Play Christmas carols (don’t forget the ones that mention Christ!) and sing along.
2. Start or continue Advent traditions such as the Advent Wreath and Advent Calendar. See www.usccb.org/advent for more information about these traditions as well as more Advent resources including prayers and a sample Family Advent Calendar.
3. Read to your children. Take turns reading the original Christmas story in the Gospels. Let younger children pick out Christmas stories at the library and read the stories to them. Not sure where to find the Christmas story in the Bible?  In the Gospel according to Luke, Chapter 1 tells of Elizabeth and the Annunciation and Chapter 2 tells of the birth of Christ and the Shepherds. In Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 1 (16-25) relates Joseph’s dream before Jesus’ birth and Chapter 2 tells of the magi and the flight into Egypt.
4. Christ calls us to serve others. Look for opportunities to help out a friend who needs a hand. Bring a hot meal to a friend who is sick or shovel the sidewalk for a neighbor who is elderly. When a friend needs to run errands or if she or he has to work during school vacation, offer to watch their children.
5. Christ showed enormous compassion for the poor and suffering. Be ready to respond to the vulnerable members of your community by learning about local resources, such as those for people experiencing homelessness, hunger, or violence at home. If people ask you for help while you’re out and about, be able to direct them to the nearest shelter, soup kitchen or other community resource.
6. Help make Christmas special for others. Bring Christ’s love to people in person by signing up to serve Christmas dinner at your local homeless shelter. Participate in your parish’s (or a local) drive for toys, clothes or other needed items for children or pregnant women in need, people who are homeless, or victims of domestic violence. Mindful that the members of the Holy Family were once refugees in Egypt, live out Christ’s call to welcome the stranger among us by volunteering to assist immigrants or hosting a house-warming Christmas party for a refugee family.
7. When shopping or running errands, be sure to be polite to the people around you. Hold the door for the person behind you.   Thank the person who bags those last-minute grocery items you ran out to get, even if you’re concerned about getting dinner ready on time.
8. Invite a neighbor, friend, coworker, or fellow parishioner for dinner.
9. Attend community events that are Christ-centered, such as your parish school’s Christmas Play.
10. Bring God’s love to someone in need of companionship by spending extra time with a friend or family member who might be feeling lonely during the holidays.

Above all, be ready to respond to Jesus’ outreach to us. Make it a priority to go to mass and communion during this season, and especially on Christmas. Jesus comes to be one with us and so that we may be one with him.

Find more resources for celebrating Advent at www.usccb.org/advent.