24 December
2 Sam 7:1-5,8-12,14,16
Lk 1:67-79
“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has visited his people, he has come to their rescue, and he has raised up for us a power for salvation in the House of his servant David.”
Merry Christmas! How has your Christmas been so far? Is it a busy time with festivities, filled with family and friends? Were you able to take some time to quiet down and ponder the true reason for Christmas?
In the past, I tended to get grumpy, perhaps even a little melancholy as well. I didn’t understand why and simply chalked it up to the busy nature of the season, all the hustle and bustle.
It wasn’t until this Christmas, when I was listening to a Catholic podcast about preparing ourselves internally for Christmas, that I got an insight to my plight. With all the noise, distractions, anxieties and demands in our daily lives, I never took the time to quiet down. I was never silent within my heart and my mind. I was never still, not my hands nor my eyes. I didn’t take the time to ponder the things of importance, things eternal. Because I was so busy doing, I never quietened myself to try to listen to God, who only speaks in the quiet of our hearts. Then I complain that I never hear God, that He isn’t listening nor speaking to me; all the while, I never gave Him the opportunity to speak to me. I never took the time to sit quietly with my Lord and find rest in His presence.
This Christmas, I want to take the time to be silent. To wait in silence for our Lord, for His birth, and wait in hope for His second coming. In my feeble human understanding, it is hard for me to truly grasp the momentous gift God has given us. His only Son, Jesus, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, is coming to us! Our God loves us so much, that He took human form to be with us, to save us. Pondering on this mystery, particularly on this Christmas Eve, gives me so much peace and joy; I am filled with thoughts of God’s love of us, that I have no space to be irritable or melancholy.
This Christmas Eve, may you wait in silence for the birth of our Lord. In the silence of your heart and mind, may you receive the peace and joy that our Lord so readily gives. May this peace carry you throughout the rest of this most wondrous time.
Wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas. God Bless.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Winnie Kung)
Prayer: Our most sweet Lord, our souls wait for You in stillness. May our hearts and minds be lifted while we ponder at the wondrous gift of Your birth.
Thanksgiving: Heavenly Father, thank you for loving us and wanting to be with us, that You sent Your only Begotten Son to take on human form, to be the Saviour of the world.
OXYGEN 
Leave a comment