Celebrating the Last Day of Christmas

Today we celebrate the last day of the Christmas season. Tomorrow, January 13th, we return to Ordinary Time. We are grateful to those who participated in our Children's Rosary Patiently Waiting campaign 2019. This included putting a sign in one's window that read "Patiently Waiting" through Advent. We invited those who participated to replace the Patiently Waiting sign on December 25th with one that read: Christ is born. The sign above is the sign we placed in our home. Our son Asher can be seen in the window. We have kept this sign in our window through the whole Christmas Season. It is a gentle reminder that the time of Christmas begins on December 25th....it does not end on the 25th. It is a celebration of this special time...one that we anticipated in prayer. 

At our monthly Children's Rosary this morning at St. Thomas the Apostle, we had a Nativity present which the children gathered around to pray their Rosary. They took turns placing yellow roses at the crib of Baby Jesus at the end of each decade. During the Rosary, there was a moment when little Peyton, only 3 years old, was walking to the podium to help lead a mystery of the Rosary with an older child. As she passed by the altar, being so tiny, she hit her head on the corner. It clearly was very painful. She gabbed for her head and many tears followed. Her mom rushed to pick her up and cradled her in her arms. Little Peyton closed her eyes and was gently comforted by her mom. We all waited to continue the prayers until her mom gestured to us to continue. In watching Peyton, it was a special moment to think of Our Lord in the arms of His mother Mary. One could imagine Our Lady comforting Baby Jesus. The Nativity scene for those moments came alive in our prayers. In this last day of Christmas, there is still time to ask for those special graces available to us through each liturgical season. 

May Jesus be born in our hearts. Amen.