This year is very special: the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord and the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph are celebrated just one day apart as Christmas falls on a Saturday. I have already written to you about the Joy of Christmas last week. We have been blessed with the well-attended Christmas Novena Masses this year and I would like to invite all of you to join me in the nine beautiful prayers of those nine Masses (one for each Mass):

1. O Lord, infant Jesus, fill us with Joy! The birth of any child is a cause for joy and so much more is the birth of You, our Savior. We pray in union with Mary, Your mother for a greater joy this Christmas.

2. O Lord, infant Jesus, grant us great humility! You gave us the model of perfect humility in your incarnation, life and death. We pray for a greater Humility this Christmas.

3. O Lord, infant Jesus, give us the gift of Faith! You, Lord, deserve our complete faith. We pray for deeper and more perfect faith in you this Christmas.

4. O Lord, infant Jesus, bring us the Hope that saves! Your birth to the Virgin Mary brought a Hope to the world that continues to sustain us. We pray for a saving Hope this Christmas.

5. O Lord, infant Jesus, inspire in us Your selfless love! You humbled yourself to become like us in all things but sin, and even humbled yourself to die on a cross. We pray that you will help us to love as You love this Christmas.

6. O Lord, infant Jesus, give us Your Peace! You are the Prince of Peace, and the ultimate fulfillment of your incarnation brings us to you in heaven where peace will come to perfection. We pray for peace this Christmas.

7. O Lord, infant Jesus, move us to forgive others as you forgive us! Your Divine Mercy is unending! We pray for Your Divine Mercy on us and that we may participate in Your mercy by forgiving others this Christmas.

8. O Lord, infant Jesus, inspire us to be repulsed by sin! You, Lord, are holy but we are not. We pray that you will make us holy and keep us from temptation this Christmas.

9. O Lord, infant Jesus, bring us to live eternally with You! Jesus, your nativity was not without purpose. Your purpose was to bring us to You. We pray that you will bring us to Life Eternal with you this Christmas.

You can meditate upon the content of the above prayers and add your own personal intentions. We all need to pray. We all need to get closer to Our Lord Jesus Christ. To be a Christian is to have an encounter with Christ. To be a true disciple of Christ is then to surrender to Him:

          O Lord Jesus help me to be close to you.
          O Lord Jesus help me to surrender to You.
          O Lord Jesus help me to see You in Others.
          O Lord Jesus help me to share the Joy of Christmas with those in  
          need.
          O Lord Jesus, You love me so much that You make yourself so small  
          for me at Christmas and in the Eucharist. O Lord Jesus, You love me
          so much that You want me to be with You now and forever!

On behalf of Fr. Jan, Deacon Rich, Deacon Bill, Sister Rosario and all our staff, we would like to wish all of you a most Blessed Christmas Season, including the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, the Feast of the Holy Family, the Solemnity of Mary Holy Mother of God, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord and the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord ending this short Christmas Season on January 9 in the New Year 2022!!!

One in Christ,
 

Father Alain