My life would be empty without Christ, who has shown me what little of love and beauty I have seen, who has spoken to me what little of truth I have heard, who has forgiven what foolish things I have done, and who occasionally finds that he can do something, here and there, with my feeble capabilities.
I’m taking the next three days off, giving my computer a rest and focusing on my wife and family, giving back to them a small fraction of what they’ve given me. As a wise songwriter once sang, “The world can wait.”
Merry Christmas to all of you. Don’t let the stress, the family disputes, the sugar-highs, and the new toys distract you from the act of quietly attending to the Gospel this Christmas, from prayer, from silence, from a walk outside in the cold air, from listening. After all, it was the spirit of watchfulness and attentiveness that drew shepherds and wisemen, fools and scholars, to the same place, where their only response, in the middle of poverty and simplicity and ordinary things–straw, wood, dung, blood–was awe and reverence and gratitude.
Do what you do best, and do it for him.
Pa-rum-pa-pum-pum.
See you in a few days.
Jeffrey
Simply said: Amen.