Several years ago, we hosted dinner for some of our friends.  One of them brought along The Catholic Card Game (yes, that’s really a thing, Google it) for some laughs after our meal.  The instructions told us the first player was whoever had gone to the Sacrament of Reconciliation most recently.  

2020 is officially over and guess what?  WE MADE IT!  I did not wait up until midnight to ring in the New Year, but I fell asleep on December 31, 2020 with a sense of accomplishment and I also fell asleep a different person than I had one year prior.  I remember ringing in the 2020 with my family and my best friends saying that the year would for sure be better than the previous year.  I had just resigned from my full-time job, excited to be able to focus more on my family.  I was three months away from heading to China to bring my new son home to our family.  My children were excited to spend more time with their mother and hope was in the air. 

Christmas Day is right around the corner.  For many of us, it’ll be quieter and smaller than normal, but the beauty of the Church’s feasts is that they’re fundamentally the same in gatherings of one or one hundred and in America, China, or anywhere you may find yourself.

card by Olivier Heitz

Tis the season we all come together around a beautifully lit tree to pray before a nativity scene. Some of us even have a family Advent wreath, sing Christmas carols and more. But it is our unique family traditions that truly imprint the magic and beauty of the season on our hearts. Our instructors share some of their treasures: live nativities, ornament exchanges, old fashioned pictures, Jesus' stocking, Christmas book a day, and more. All of these make their Christmas season a time apart from time, a moment that will remain with them forever. They invite you to start your own traditions too!

It is my favorite time of the year!!!  Also, this year being a Catholic has its perks because the year 2020 is over and we have moved into the New year already!  We begin our church year with the beautiful liturgical season of Advent.  When we went to church this past Sunday, we saw we have changed from green to purple!   We prepare ourselves for the Lord by staying awake and being ready.  We try to make this liturgical season a special season in our home.  We do special things, and we celebrate the beautiful saints of the season. 

Part of my morning prayer routine is reading the daily scriptures that the Catholic Church gives us for Mass and spending time pondering the message God is calling me to hear.  After pondering for a moment or two, I spend time journaling about the message.  Today, I literally wrote: “I think the readings want me to know that Dan is very blessed to have me as his wife!”  I then spent about five minutes laughing.  Of course, I told Dan, exactly how blessed he was.  He is so smitten, that he agreed with me.  This made me laugh even harder. 

Sometimes I will be the only church that somebody will know!  You say, what?  Yes, that is true, I, and you, may be the only church that somebody will ever know.  As I read through the readings today on the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, this thought began to develop within my heart.