Have Yourself A Very Mindful Christmas

It was, indeed, a very long time ago when like most youth, I was trying to find my way.  I was searching for what I was meant to do and didn't have the slightest idea.  It was then that I came to Toronto to study Theology at U. of T.  It was then that I met the likes of Bob Carty and Tom McKillop, a couple of men who had an incredible influence on my life and yet-to-be-determined journey.  In that first year of meeting them, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend an event they had planned at Massey Hall in Toronto featuring two heroes of our times,  Jean Vanier and Mother Teresa.

Bob opened the night with some beautifully inspiring music and then Jean Vanier spoke.  Wow it was really powerful.  Then came this diminutive nun who had started a religious order of nuns in India, "to serve the poorest of the poor" and now she was in North America to arrange to send her sisters, as missionaries to the U.S..  "How do these places compare, what do they hold in common?", I asked myself.  Then came the most resounding statement I have ever heard.  This little, humble nun said with the greatest certainty of her faith, "I come here to serve the poorest of the poor, because the greatest poverty of all is LONELINESS!"

From that moment in 1971, Christmas has never been the same.. At times I have struggled with the superficial contradiction between the spiritual essence we celebrate and the gift-giving, commercial part of the holiday.  It has caused me often to remember with some pain (and guilt) that there are many folks who have absolutely no one to share Christmas with.  They are, indeed, the most lonely and therefore so poor (even as some live in their fine condos).

For me the wondrous resolution of this tension has been to remember in some special ways those who are most lonely during this time of the year and, in addition, to embrace with profound gratitude the cherished friends and family that I do have.  The greatest gift we give one another is really ourselves.  So while I will enjoy the new toys, sweaters, etc.  the happiest part of this season is being with those I love and who love me.  Turning off the technology could help us focus on time for and with one another.  Singing some songs, whispering some pertinent prayers, perhaps saying thanks to a cherished friend or partner may just spark a deeper bond. 

Being mindful of one another, including those who are alone, does nothing less than help us to remind ourselves why this season came to be in the first place.

A Baby is born in Bethlehem, and Mary, did you know he was the great 'I AM'!

So have yourself a very mindful Christmas!