6 Ways to Prepare for a baby Jesus Christmas

With Christmas being right around the corner, it’s crunch time to prepare. While you also might prepare last minute gifts (guilty), toss around some tinsel and hoard eggnog, let's take a moment or two to talk about spiritual preparation, not laying out cookies for a man in red who doesn't exist. Seriously, who needs Santa Claus (with the exception of St. Nicholas, ora pro nobis), when we have the birth of Jesus Christ? Christ, Who is the Son of the almighty and eternal God, humbled Himself to become man, more specifically, a little child, to save us from everlasting death through His infinite love, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. Yet instead we tell our children about an imaginary man who delivers toys once a year depending on their behavior... there's no comparison. To elevate Santa higher than Christ is like glorifying a chintzy pebble over all of the treasures in the world, magnified by a million times over, and that still doesn't compare to the greatness of God! If marriage is my vocation, my future spouse better be prepared to not teach our children about Santa, when we have Jesus Christ. Some may not agree with me, but I am staunchly Catholic in an increasingly secular world, after all. For an even more wonderfully controversial view of this topic, check out Matt Walsh's own blog post, click here to have your mind blown.

It's the season of Advent, which in Latin is adventus, which means arrival, so let's get ready for baby Jesus! I say specifically a baby Jesus Christmas, because it's a lost cause to try to turn Christmas into anything else. Take Christ out of Christmas and you have yourself something like a cheap knock-off that just isn't the same. These are only a few suggested ways to prepare, but before we move along, let's take a moment to appreciate just how sweet the child Jesus is portrayed here. Aww. 

1) Go to confession
I mentioned this in the my last post. Cleaning out your heart and soul is the best way to prepare to welcome baby Jesus into the manger of your heart, through Holy Communion on Christmas Day. There's nothing like a good, sacramental confession to open your heart to the graces waiting for you. Also, what's better than being united to Christ on His birthday?

2) Pray the Joyful Mysteries
The Joyful Mysteries of the rosary are the Annunciation, the Visitation, the birth of our Lord, the Presentation, and the finding of the child Jesus in the temple. These mysteries all rotate around joy, hence being the Joyful Mysteries. They are the joys of discovering, knowing, finding, meeting and having Christ near to us. There's no one who knows these joys better than His own Blessed Mother. With her intercession, meditate upon these mysteries to better know the joy Christ brings, especially during the season of Advent.

3) Go to adoration
Spend some quality time with the King Himself, He waits for you.

4) Read Sacred Scripture
Dust off that Bible, turn to Luke 2:1-20, and get that Lectio Divina rolling.

5) Go to mass
Daily, if possible. The more Jesus in our lives, the better. 

6) Be silent
Take some time to distance yourself from the noisiness of the consumerism, stress and even jingle bells. Silence is not only golden, but also simple. God has a way of speaking to us in the silence of our hearts, and remaining silent is our opportunity to listen. In the quiet, time could be taken to deeply examine the conscience for a good confession, to enter into mental prayer while praying the rosary, quiet time with Christ in adoration, stillness in reflecting on the account of Christ's birth, and reverent silence during mass, where He is truly made present. Virtues, beautiful mediations and prayers can be born through silence, just like the great saints before us.

Once more, I pray you all have a blessed remaining season of Advent, until next time, pax.

It's Rose, Not Pink

One minute I'm prancing around in my Lady of Mount Carmel costume, the next I'm panicking over black widows hiding behind the Christmas decoration boxes. True story. Unlike most of America, I didn't forget good ole' Thanksgiving, but the transition from October to December was fast. A little too fast, but we all say that every single year, don't we? Anywho, in my blogging absence* I've been busy with homework (aka penance), being continuously sick, and somehow hanging out with lots of brothers and seminarians. Cue the #CatholicGirlProblems. God truly does have the greatest sense of humor, praise be to Him. But in all seriousness, continue to pray for an increase in vocations... not to forget holy matrimony, because that's where religious vocations are fostered. Priests, brothers, sisters and nuns don't pop out of thin air, you know. Don't get me wrong, it's great that so many young men and women are courageously answering the call, but holy marriage is also a very important vocation that isn't to be forgotten. However, in the end of it all, whether or not these men and women become religious or not, the Church still gains a more faithful and stronger Catholic; win-win situation.

Moving along, we're all aware that it's Advent! Deo gratias, baby Jesus is on His way. On the third Sunday of Advent, we wear pink. I mean rose. In all honesty, at the Latin mass I went to this past Sunday, I was interiorly geeking out over the rose colored chasuble. So. Cool. With Christmas season comes the Christmas trees, Nativity Scenes, assortment of treats and pretending that empty wrapping paper tubes are didgeridoos. Aside from the preparation for the festivities, are we really ready for Christmas? I'm not talking about it in a material or decorative way. 

Are you really and truly ready to welcome baby Jesus into your heart? 

On Christmas Day we're remembering how Christ came to us in the utmost innocence and vulnerability; as a newborn baby. The little King of kings, lying in a manger wrapped up nice and snug by the Blessed Mother, with dear St. Joseph protecting the both of them. This is the analogy I gave my confirmation class: if you were to invite Christ into your home, would you want it to be spic and span or dirty and cluttered? Chances are, you'd want it to be immaculately clean. With that in mind, the best way to prepare for the coming of Christ is a good, sacramental confession. It might be scary or daunting, but by confessing all of your deepest and darkest sins, you're only opening up your soul to the love and mercy of Christ. You can either shut Him out like the inkeepers of Bethlehem, or make room from Him in the manger of your heart. 

I pray you all have a blessed Christmas season, filled with love and peace of Christ. Not happy holidays, or happy Festivus for the rest of us, but merry Christmas to each and every one of you, from the bottom of my heart.

* Just as a side note, since I'm not able to blog as much as I would like, you can follow me on Twitter, @AlwaysYvonne , to keep up with my Catholic shenanigans and whatnot.