Christmas blessings prompt us to look outward

    Having just celebrated “Gaudete Sunday,” we witnessed the joy associated with Christmas, the joy of Christ’s birth. Young adults in college, too, have experienced the joy as they return home to their families from a successful semester.
    I, of course, am filled with joy to be returning home and celebrating Christmas with my family. Since my brother became a transitional deacon, I have only been able to see him at his first Mass. So, I’m especially looking forward to seeing him on the altar during Christmas, sitting with my family.
    However, in the midst of joyful anticipation, we are still called to recollect and prepare ourselves. My husband and I were talking over dinner as we lit our Advent wreath at home, about how quickly the month of December has gone by.
    As a child, those weeks of Advent seemed to crawl along, teasing us with the Christmas countdown: only one week left! Now, however, with the stress and busyness of jobs and everyday life, everything flies by. So, it may seem difficult to set aside time for reflection.
    God, however, often has different plans. Sometimes, when I feel like I just don’t have time to set aside for prayer or I fall asleep before finishing my prayers, I think that God sends us little reminders for reflecting and talking to him.
    This past week in St. Louis, the temperatures have been cold, with ice covering the ground and snow falling. As long as I don’t have to drive in that kind of weather, I generally like looking outdoors and watching the snow fall. Not only is it beautiful watching the branching of the trees fill with snow and ice, but the snow makes everything quiet, particularly as it first falls. In these moments of silent beauty, I find it much easier to reflect on how thankful I am for all that I have currently in my life.
    It is also during these cold months that it’s harder to forget about the people without homes or families. In St. Louis, there is a rather large homeless population. One of the graduate students in the department works with a non-profit organization called The Bridge, providing sanctuary to the homeless and at-risk in the area.
    It’s always endearing to hear people talk about their service work, but this year in particular, it was nice to hear the stories behind the people that we might see every day on our way to work or school.
    Oftentimes, I think, it’s easy to pass by the man on the corner, holding a sign asking for money or food, since there have been so many instances of people abusing the donations given.
    Hearing their stories, however, and knowing that they are looking for an opportunity to change their situations, makes it easier to reflect on being the Christians that Jesus calls us to be.
    Particularly during Advent, as we make our way to the final stretch before Christmas, John the Baptist’s cry of preparing the way for our Savior should ring loudly in our ears. As we await his coming, with joy and reflection, we must ask ourselves if we’ve done all that we can to prepare ourselves and the world for Jesus’ coming.
    Perhaps the next time we see a person who is less fortunate than ourselves, we can think a bit more of their own humanity: Everyone has a story. And in that moment, we can reflect on serving Jesus: “For I was hungry and you gave me food” (Matt 25:35).
    Heather Bozant Witcher can be reached at hbozantwitcher@clarionherald.org.