MH - Celebrating Christmas

Barring unforseen circumstances, this will be our last post before Christmas, and I thought I might spend a minute passing along some ways that people commemorate Christmas. In the Hadley household, we read the Nativity scene from Luke prior to dinner on Christmas Eve, and then attend Midnight Mass at the great St. Agnes in St. Paul. Our friends the Crawfords sit around the tree on Christmas morning and read the story of the Magi bringing their gifts to the Christ Child, before they open their presents. In households throughout the world similar traditions are observed, as we recall the momentous events that happened over two thousand years ago, and what they mean to us today.

I thought for awhile about what would be an appropriate post to close with, and I decided on this, one of my favorite passages, the prologue to the Gospel of St. John. And with that, my wife and I wish all of you out there a blessed and very merry Christmas, and we'll see you next week.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was made nothing that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men: and the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness to give testimony of the light, that all men might believe through him. He was not the light, but was to give testimony of the light. That was the true light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him, to them He gave great power to become the sons of God: to them that believe in His name: who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.