Finding the Joy of Christmas in a Time of Sorrow

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." 
- Psalm 34:18

Hello dear friends in Christ! Today is the Third Sunday of Advent. I'm so sorry I haven't posted anything for a while. I have been so busy with final exams and finishing off the end of this semester. But I'm happy to say I did very well and I'm so glad it's over! Praise the Lord! As I was saying, this day commemorates the anticipation of Christmas and the joy of the Christ's coming by lighting a pink candle on the Advent wreath. However, with the recent events that occurred in Connecticut, it is hard for people to embrace this joy in a time of grief and sorrow.

I am still in shock that a young man would just barge into an elementary school and shoot up 20 little kids and 6 adults. This is America—a country where children should be safe. First graders shouldn't need to be worried that someone is going to shoot them in their own school. This is a very sad tragedy. Many parents, families, and friends of those little children are hurting so much now. And of course, as evil would have it, this shooting just happened to take place right around Christmas. This goes to show when people start turning to God, like most do around Christmastime, the devil tries to steal their joy away from them.

Reflecting on this incident, it seems to be reminiscent of the story How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Like the Grinch, this young man, filled with hatred in his soul, stole the greatest joy away from the parents of these little children. Of course this causes a great amount of sorrow. But the question is, how can we find joy during Christmas when we experience a terrible loss like this? The answer is, Jesus...who is the reason for the season. But like any natural human being, finding joy at this time will not be easy. I, myself, lost a grandparent this year. This will be my first Christmas without my grandmother. But looking into the light of hope and salvation, this is where we can find real joy through Jesus' birth. Christ came to save the whole world! I'm sure that all of those beautiful little children are living a wonderful life with Him, in heavenly glory, right now.

If we hang on to this hope, this love of Christ, and this joy...it is possible to experience a Christmas filled with merriment. Being together with loved ones, friends and family, is always the best solution. Just the closeness of someone who cares can bring a smile to a mourning family member. As the grim feeling starts to fade, light will soon emerge from the darkness and being to softly warm the heart again with a glimmer of joy—the joy of Jesus' presence.

As my priest at church announced this morning, eight families will be holding funeral Masses for the children at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Newtown, CT. Let us continue to pray for those families, our Catholic brothers and sisters, along with the others who are suffering at this moment. Let us pray that they can and will find Christ's joy in the Christmas season and during the new year. God bless those little children and God bless America.

Forgiveness and Healing a Broken Heart

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." - Matthew 6:14

Have you ever been so hurt by someone that all you want to do is blow up in a rage, punch your pillow, and pretend it was them? Do you find yourself sometimes listening to music that correlates to the emotions you feel towards that person? If so, you are not alone. I can empathize with you in this case. It is hard to let go of something so painful when someone has wronged you. It usually weighs on your mind for a while, preventing you from moving on with your life. And this, my friend, is not good.

God doesn't want us to dwell on these things. By dwelling on the hurt someone else has caused you, you are the only one continuing to cause it. You can become your own worst enemy. By hardening your heart you are allowing hatred to find its way into the open wounds. This is how the devil works. He will try to keep infecting your wounds with hate so they never heal...which, in turn, just makes you feel more miserable, hurt, angry, sad, and even depressed.

By letting go of the pain and learning to forgive we start to feel peace in our own hearts. This is the peace of God that will bless you and heal you of all your anguish. Given time, the brokeness of your heart will slowly mend. You will find that it feels good to let go of the pain and surrender it all to God. He will see how you have been able to truly forgive that person with the love of your heart. In the same way, He will forgive you of your sins out of His endless mercy and compassionate love.

You may have heard the phrase, "forgive and forget." It is always good to forgive because it frees us from so much distress. But it doesn't mean that once you forgive the person all those bad memories will suddenly disappear. By learning to forgive means you no longer hold anything against that person for the harm they may have caused you. Instead, when those memories arise, pray for that person...because they probably really need it! Replace the hatred with love.

Someday, maybe even after that person dies and meets God face to face, they will see the pain they caused you and it will hurt. They will also see the love you showed to them with your forgiveness and prayers. Don't you think that they will be so happy to know that you still showed them love and mercy even when they were unworthy of it? ...Of course they will! This is just like us. We are so grateful to know God's unconditional love and mercy even when we don't deserve it. By forgiving others you not only live like Jesus but you are also healing your own heart from all the pain. It is so much easier to move on with life being free from all of the hatred and resentment.

This healing of the heart takes time and will probably not happen overnight. So when you are troubled go to God in prayer and ask for the grace to forgive and move on. Sometimes we let go of things and the very next day we take them back again. Each day is a new struggle and filled with new temptations. Once we seem to find peace the devil will try to stir up those painful emotions again when we least expect it. Don't give into these games the evil one will try to play on us. He is sneaky, and unlike you, does not know love. That is when you can replace the hatred you begin to feel again with love through prayer. Praying about it will also help you to rebuke evil spirits and cast them out of your life.

Just remember, God will help you get through these trials. He loves you ssssooooo much and doesn't want to see you hurting any longer. As stated in Psalm 34:18, "The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." With patience, time, prayer, and love your heart will begin to feel whole again. All of those bad memories will begin to fade as you replace them with new ones---good ones. For just as God promised, "Behold, I make all things new."