Hope, Pray, and Forgive

Nativity Scene in Lanherne Chapel.

Close-up.

Dear Friends and Family,

Merry Christmas! I love still being able to say that every day of the Octave. The week has been so blessed for me here. One of my favourite parts of Christmas day is the traditional custom--after both the midnight Mass and after each Masses of Christmas day--is the veneration of the Child Jesus. As soon as each Christmas Mass ends I have the privilege of turning toward the congregation and inviting them to come forward to the altar rail, to kneel there as I bring to them the Newborn King to be kissed and adored.

Then, walking toward where the child Jesus is enthroned, I kneel and incense Him, then stand, adore Him myself, offering Him a kiss as I take Him from His throne, and proceed to present Him to each acolyte, then each one of the Nuns, then to each member of the congregation at the altar rail. And during this whole time, Christmas Carols are sung, beginning with "O Holy Night." It is such a joy to present Him to little children, to parents, to teenagers, and to catch a glimpse of the devotion of each as He is adored. At the midnight Mass, which is entirely by candlelight, this moment marks in a particular way the end of the long wait for our Savior and of Advent's penitential season, and the beginning of the great celebration of the Lord's Birth.

After placing Him back in His crib (held in a make-shift sort of throne), we process to the sacristy, pray prayers of thanksgiving, and then head to the dining room of the presbytery for hot chocolate, sweets, and a time of celebration. This finished around 2:30AM this year. I then had the blessing of some moments back in the chapel alone, with the whole house in silence, to adore the Newborn King.

Then on Christmas Day, after a 6:30AM Mass at the convent and two sick-calls, I had the great joy of singing the Mass at St. Edward's. The veneration of the Child Jesus was particularly touching for me that morning--"Come to the Manger" sounded especially vibrant as all processed to the altar rail to adore the Newborn King. That moment, and these past few days of the Octave, have been full of joy, but have also been bittersweet as I am having to say goodbyes to families as I prepare for my assignment in Rome. But while this has been emotionally draining it has been the occasion of thanking the Lord for so many many blessings that I have had during these past few years of ministry.

To give you a glimpse of one of the recent home visits (note: I am posting this photo as it's the only one I have on hand at the moment. Each of the other family visits was also wonderful!), here is a photo of one:

This particular visit included vigorous games of "Duck, Duck, Goose" "Sly Fox" (a modified version of red light green light, for those of you in the U.S.), and "Pickle in the Middle" (apparently known as "piggie in the middle" here in England). The latter was especially fun and I am grateful that we managed not to break anything in the living room with the ball we were tossing so quickly back and forth.

But rather than just list Christmas blessings, I wanted to share with you all some helpful advice I read this week: advice in how to deal with unjust, painful, situations; advice about how to turn those into occasions of grace, of how to open your soul to God's special plans:

Hope, Pray, and Forgive

Hope: when it seems like your world is crashing in around you, when you can't understand how any good will come out of this and on the contrary when it can seem that "all is lost," then hope. Make acts of supernatural hope: placing your hope in God, not in what you can understand and do. Tell Him that you hope in Him, which means that you believe in Him--you believe that He is all-powerful and that He loves you infinitely, that He is your loving, heavenly Father. You hope in Him, you trust that He has plans to draw a greater good out of this suffering, if you will cooperate with His plans.

Pray: Pray to the Father, to Our Lord, to Our Lady, asking them for their help. But don't merely ask them to solve your problem, ask them to help you embrace God's will. And, even more importantly, take time to pray by contemplating Our Lord in the mysteries of His life. The rosary is such a tremendously helpful tool for doing this. Spend time with Our Lady contemplating the mysteries of Our Lord's life. The more you do this the more you will open your soul to His light and wisdom.

Forgive: a crucial third step. Forgive from your heart the ones who have (or who may have, because sometimes we misjudge people), caused you this suffering. Tell God that you forgive them, that you do not seek revenge, that you do not want to make them suffer like you're suffering, but that you want what is best for them. Then place them in God's hands. If punishment is needed, He will see to that, in His time and way. But for yourself, let go of revenge, hatred, and so many other things that chain our soul to the things of this earth.

Christmas is a truly beautiful and joyful season, but that sometimes brings to the surface painful injustices. If that is the case in your life, apply the above three steps (often many more times than once!) and you will begin to open your soul to the special blessings God has in store for you through those sufferings.

May Jesus and Mary guide you during this beautiful season.

In Cordibus Iesu et Mariae,
Fr. Pillari