In the heart of downtown Detroit, on the cusp of “Greektown” is one of the oldest Catholic Churches in the Motor City. Completed in 1885, Old Saint Mary’s Catholic Church is where I was blessed to receive a much-needed message to “slow down” the closer we get to Christmas.
My wife Ashley and yours truly have three young children at home, ages six, five, and two. Just like you, we are both quite busy with the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season. I’m guilty of having more of a focus on Amazon, presents, parties, and preparing for the holiday rather than reflecting and praying about the true spirit of what we should celebrate and reflect on.
This past week, Fr. John “J.J.” Mech from Old Saint Mary’s in Michigan asked parishioners:
“Christmas is almost here. How is your preparation faring? Are you feeling good? Do you need a little peace?,” asked Father J.J.
Yes!!!!!! was my resounding reply. Absolutely.
Then that week’s first and second readings put things in perspective on the mindset we should choose not just during the Christmas season, but every day of the year”
“Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,” was in the First Reading from the Book of Zephaniah.
“Sing for joy,” was followed up in the Second Reading from the Book of Isiah.
I’m Catholic, but also enjoy listening to Christian author and televangelist Joel Osteen. One of his talks focused on the importance of not only living in joy, but making sure we don’t choose to let anyone around us steal our joy.
Father J.J. from Old Saint Mary’s hit this point home even harder like a two-by-four of truth to the side of the noggin by challenging us by also asking:
“Perhaps you sense that we prepare for and celebrate Christmas doing the opposite of what brings peace and joy to the world. Maybe we embrace too much of the secular culture and not enough of the Gospel culture. Are we able to listen to God in the midst of all this?”
There are no accidents. An “accident” is when God chooses to remain anonymous. This was an important, faith-based message I needed to hear during this visit to Old Saint Mary’s in Detroit.
Ashley is very active in the PTO of our boys’ school. She’s a Saint. No idea why she married me. I always say she either lost a drunken wager or our great-grandparents back in Ukraine traded goats and she was forced to marry me.
She’s the main organizer of a massive, “12 Days of Christmas” gift card raffle that benefits our sons’ school, and I’ve been hyper-focused on collecting gift cards for the fundraiser. I’ve also been fixated on Amazon deals, shopping, worrying about what we’re getting for the kids, and organizing our own Christmas dinner, all the while getting through the usual routine of our hectic lives.
Not once have I really focused this Advent Season on what we should be fixated on this Christmas: joyously praying, reflecting, and living as an example of peace and love to make our little corner of the world a better and more peaceful place to be.
Time is ticking. Christmas is almost here. Let’s take a breather when we feel like we’re starting to lose ourselves in the hustle and bustle of preparing for the holiday.
To get in that headspace I love the prayer of Padre Pio:
“Pray, hope, and don't worry. Worry is useless. God is merciful and will hear your prayer.”
Amen.