fr. gray's column for Dec 22

the shortest distance is between

O Most High; O Adonai and ruler of the house of Israel; O root of Jesse who stand as a sign among the peoples; O key of David and scepter of the house of David; O dayspring, sun of justice, brightness of eternal light; O king and desire of the nations:

O Emmanuel, our king and lawgiver, the hope and savior of the nations, come and save us, Lord, Our God.

Christmas is on our doorstep—and so is Jesus Christ our Lord. God-with-us, Emmanuel, is always with us, He is our neighbor, He is our brother, He is with us. But sometimes we let our anger get in the way of seeing Christ in each other. Now is the time to let the great love we have been preparing for become real. All Advent—and all our lives—we get ready for Christ to come to us by being charitable with others for the sake of God’s love for us. God is coming to us. Love is coming to us. God is love.

We could be angry and judgmental, or we could be loving and compassionate. It is so hard to get out of ourselves, but so worth it! At the store, on the road, at work, at school, at the gym, on the slopes: we could get bent out of shape anywhere, or we could be loving anywhere.

This year, come to Christmas Mass early and park in peace. No need to compete for good parking spots at the Eccles Center or at the White Pine Canyon Church! This year, when you see someone you don’t know at Christmas Mass, welcome them to sit next to you and not just a seat or two away.

Maybe the person coming to sit next to you at Christmas Mass hasn’t been to church in years and doesn’t remember the responses at Mass. Maybe the person coming to sit next to you has been hurting for a long time and gathered up all their courage to come back to church. Maybe offering a handshake and a gentle smile will be the most meaningful thing that happens for them, maybe a word of welcome and encouragement will not only make them feel at home at Christmas Mass but even bring them back to our common home, the life in Christ we call the Church. Everyone is welcome, everyone is loved—for real. Christ is coming; let us be Christ for one another this Christmas and always.

In Christ,

Fr. Christopher Gray, pastor