Merry Christmas to all! An encouraging quote from today's Office of Readings by Saint Leo the Great, pope, as we begin this Christmas season:
Through the sacrament of baptism you have become a temple of the Holy Spirit. Do not drive away so great a guest by evil conduct and become again a slave to the devil, for your liberty was bought by the blood of Christ.
What wonderful gifts we have today—not only the gift of the Holy Spirit we received at Baptism, but also the birth of our blessed savior, Jesus Christ. Be sure to give thanks to God in prayer today, and often throughout the Christmas season, for the gift of the Word becoming flesh through Mary. Even without any other gifts, we can have immense pleasure and happiness knowing that God is with us today in a special way as we commemorate Jesus' birthday.
Happy birthday, Jesus!