OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
DECEMBER 2023
Dear Friends,
Sr. Regina Chassar, SSJ
It is very easy to get lost in the superficiality and commercialism in preparation for Christmas. We can see this expressed “happy holidays” or rushing to buy the latest toy sensation. We talk of snow, and trees, lights, and decorations. All of these have their place but they may cause us to stop short or miss altogether the deep meaning of Christmas.
While Easter is the greatest feast in the Catholic Church, it is totally dependent on Christmas. Without Christmas there is no Easter. There would be no vanquishing of death for us if the Son of Man had not become one of us at Christmas.
- Without Christmas the Son of God could not have shown us His love by dying on the Cross when this child reached maturity.
- Without Christmas there would not have been the empty tomb that signaled the challenge “Death where is thy sting?”
- Without Christmas there would be no communion in the Eucharist, the most intimate of unions with the Son of God.
- Without Christmas Mary would not be the mother of God, bequeathed to us by her Son as our mother.
There is so much more that could be said. Christmas is the beginning, Christmas is the foundation of all the truths that we hold dear. Those truths are the cause of our joy. Christmas is the foundation of our living and the foundation of the mysteries of Christ in our lives as we re-live the memories.
May this celebration of Christmas be a time for family and friends to gather and celebrate the Birth of our Savior! Welcome Jesus, the Savior, of the World!
Blessings and peace,
Sister Regina M. Chassar, sj
Director of Religious Education