Sunday, December 11, 2011

ADVENT - Week III


St. Nicholas - Russian fresco - Patron Saint of Children

Dear God,

The Christmas gifts are piling up at my house. It’s an embarrassment of riches, but our largesse pales by comparison to your generosity. “You can’t out-give God.” John 3:16 sums that up:

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

From the wonder of the Nativity to the miracle of Easter, you dispatched your Son to our broken, temporal domain. He offers us peace and eternal life.

...as well as a multitude of divine gifts:

Guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Forgiveness. Contentment. Joy.

Lord, I pray for time during this Christmas season to carefully unwrap each of those gifts, to ponder their significance, to fully consider my salvation, that I may join in Mary’s canticle:

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. (Luke 1:47)

Thanks be to God, Amen.


St. Nicholas relief - Amsterdam

St. Nicholas had a reputation for secret gift-giving and became the model for Santa Claus, whose English name comes from the Dutch language.