First Christmas Gifts

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Litany of Christmas Thanks
By Fr LW Gonzales On December 24th, 2011
Response: Baby Jesus, we thank you.
For the Blessed Virgin Mary your Mother who said “Yes” to the angel. R/
For John the Baptist who leapt in the womb of Elizabeth when you visited him in Mary. R/
For Joseph your foster father who trusted the angel instead of heeding his own doubts. R/
For the donkey that carried your expectant Mother to Bethlehem. R/
For the neighbor who led your holy family to the stable. R/
For the manger in which you were placed as if in the first tabernacle. R/
For the animals who were there in the first moments that you were adored. R/
For the angels and their song that led shepherds to your stable. R/
For the shepherds who worshiped you and then proclaimed the Good News like priests. R/
For Simeon who all his life had been waiting for you in the temple, longing to hold you. R/
For Anna the prophetess who proclaimed you to all those looking for deliverance and peace. R/
For the star that led the Magi to your manger and your Mother. R/
Loving Father, all of these Christmas gifts symbolize how much you love us  with the supreme Gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, born for us this Christmas day. We give these gifts to one another to express how grateful we are for your unfathomable generosity  and to show how eager we are to share that goodness with one another. Bless these tokens of love and caring. Never let us get attached to material things, but rather let the joy flowing from these presents strengthen our bonds of love, deepen our relationships, and move us to be more thankful, selfless, and giving all the days of our life. Thank you for the birth of Jesus, our brother and our Savior.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.*
*Adapted from Blessing Prayers: Devotions for Growing in Faith by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P.

Never let us get too attached to material things*

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Do you think that some would be disgruntled that the Savior of the World, come as an infant would especially honor a donkey and ox, sheep and shepherds and a humble Mary and Joseph to His birth stable totally covered under a canopy of angels
Shepherds were the lowest estate of men.

That later on He would welcome gentile kings reading the stars from a far with an entourage as large as an army to His humble home

That He would choose to be born in a stable in the company of animals is something to ponder

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This week we have read that the Heavenly Host of Angels announced the plan of Salvation to the shepherds watching over their flocks in the fields

These shepherds were our first evangelists, they spread the Word of the Birth of the Christ Child with much joy and jubilee.

Jesus compared the House of Israel like sheep without a shepherd