A Quiet Christmas, the Perfect Atmosphere for the Birth of Jesus

Merry Christmas season!  This year Christmas was a quiet one for me since my sister’s family traveled to Hawaii to spend a week vacationing together.  I was feeling nostalgic as I went to Noche Buena service and Father gave such a great homily that I knew God was speaking to me directly.  Father told us about attending his first midnight service as a seminarian.  He said that all seminarians got a week off to spend with their families, but he was asked to serve at Christmas Eve service and he was not happy because in Mexico the twenty-fourth of December is a night of great partying.  Thus, he was regretting his decision to enter the seminary as he left the great home festivity to help with Mass.  In his town, as in mine, the streets close and people come out and make bonfires and the whole community eats, drinks and dances.  Sad to leave the celebration he headed to Mass quite gloomy.  The church was quite empty not even a third of the building was occupied by people ready to worship God.  The solemn service was quite a contrast from the celebrations on the streets; yet, there in the quiet Eucharistic celebration Father finally understood what Christmas was about.  He had a Christmas "conversion" and went home no longer needing to drink and be merry – straight to his room and closed the door with the most joyful feeling in his heart and a smile from ear to ear.

I was feeling unsatisfied before Noche Buena service because I was thinking how this year it was just me and my parents celebrating together.  I missed all the noise that my complete family usually provides.  Then I heard his homily and understood that sometimes the best things happen in silence - in quiet.  If we are too busy prepping the meal, drinking the beverages, giving the gifts- we might just miss the purpose of our celebration. As I worshipped God with “only” my parents I realized what a fool I had been focusing too much on non-essentials.  Through the midnight service Jesus was born in my heart and now the quiet seemed just the right atmosphere to hold him tight.  As I held him in my heart he overwhelmed me with his truth and I left Mass with a smile from ear to ear (too) because I had just partied with my Savior. I kissed his little head and understood the right way to do Christmas.

The three of us piled in my car changed, sharing the beauty of the service and the blessing of being together one more year for the Christmas season.  No longer sad that we were heading back to a quiet house, actually quite the opposite because our hearts were full- full of Jesus.