This Week from Mitch

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Merry Christmas!!! I love Christmas. I love the services and the music, gathering with family and friends, the giving and receiving of gifts, and Hallmark movies with cheesy and predictable happy endings.

I love the sounds of Christmas—the bell ringers outside stores, children in neighborhoods playing with new toys, and the sounds of people saying, "Merry Christmas!" I also love the feeling of Christmas. It seems like people are kinder this time of year, more generous, more loving, more grateful, and just plain nicer. I wonder what that is about.

This time of year, our culture shifts into a mode that is markedly different than any other season. When you surround yourself with sights, sounds, and gestures that are more loving, you cannot help but be more loving in response. The world around us imprints itself on us. People seem more generous, loving, and kind this time of year because we are! My prayer for St. Martin's-in-the-Fields this year is that we can carry that spirit a little bit longer. I pray we can revel in the birth of Jesus in such a way that our kindness imprints itself on the world around us so that when the world reverts to just another "Tuesday," our love might shine.

Christmas is coming! Let us rejoice and be glad. Christmas is coming! Let us share the good news. Christmas is coming! Let our lives reflect the faith that we proclaim.

In Christ,

Mitch