Weekly Notes - 12/10/2017

Well, the company finished cleaning the stained glass windows.  They did say that the windows are a great treasure for us.  They also informed us that in twenty years or so they will probably need some major work because of their age.  I am glad that both the window and tuckpointing workers completed their work without any safety issues.  Praise the Lord!

Today's Gospel is about John the Baptist.  The message of his ministry was to prepare the way of the Lord.  When I think of preparation, I think of the time and energy it takes to get it right.  For instance,  preparing a dinner where you are cooking from scratch or getting your house ready for guests all takes lots of time and energy.

So, I can take this message two ways:  Let's take the time to prepare ourselves for the Christmas Mass that we will celebrate with our family.  If we just "show up" that night or morning, then I think one needs to take some time to ponder and reflect on what the Christ Child's coming means to one personally.

The second aspect is to imitate John the Baptist and prepare others to find Christ in their lives as we  demonstrate a Christ-like attitude.  This aspect is not just for this Christmas.  This is our mission for the rest of our lives.  Every action and every word either reinforces the image of Christ in our lives or it diminishes it.

Both of these are done with prayer and the grace of God.  So do not attempt this without God's help and blessings!

Thanks for all you do!