A Social Concerns Blog from Members of the Passionist Community

Merry Christmas

Dec 24, 2008

I wish that you celebrate Christmas in the interior of your heart, where the gentle Jesus will be born spiritually and you will be reborn to a new life of love in him. - St. Paul of the Cross, 1761

Christmas is a time for many of us to reflect and assess our lives in relationship to the Incarnate Word. In the spirit of giving and sharing I would like to offer you, the readers, two resources that I have recently found valuable in my own journey.

The first resource comes from our own Passionist Earth and Spirit Center. It is a simple flyer that offers practical steps for us in pursuing a Christian lifestyle that is in harmony with creation. I find this practical guide very helpful in guiding me towards a holistic life where I can fully celebrate and respect the dignity that is God’s creation. I find these guides especially helpful when I consider the environmental and economic challenges that we face in our society.

Living in Harmony with Creation.

The Second resource that I would like to share with you is a book that I found to be spiritually formative. It is a fictional book that engages the reader in a journey with an amazing and challenging image of God. This journey guides the reader towards an understanding of the power of forgiveness and reconciliation in our world. I found it especially useful in helping me, as a father of two little children, to find meaning behind what I can only imagine is the ultimate experience of pain and suffering. During this Christmas season I invite you to visit “The Shack.”