I have written at length of Thérèse of Lisieux’s famous Christmas Eve conversion.
This year I had a little one of my own! I write about it HERE.
Headed up to the Central Coast for the week–wishing you all peace, hope and joy.
NEVER TOO LATE
I have written at length of Thérèse of Lisieux’s famous Christmas Eve conversion.
This year I had a little one of my own! I write about it HERE.
Headed up to the Central Coast for the week–wishing you all peace, hope and joy.
Past Christmas already, but this is a story for any time of the year. Thank you!
Yes, the occasion just happened to occur at Christmas, but the "conversion" could have taken place anytime. And of course must be ongoing–the real challenge…thank you.
This is a story for our times, where even commitment is tentative for so many, and control is always our first option. And where letting go, as did Christ, is always the most difficult and rewarding.
Thanks.
Right–we want to engineer our own "spiritual moments"…that in my case are usually about me, not the other…thanks, Stephen!
I love this Christmas piece Heather.
We are always coming up against things always being about us. The thing to learn is, "It's not about me.". It's so difficult to keep Christ at the centre though. I remember one Christmas. We had nine children, including a new baby at one end of the family and teenagers of different ages at the other. My sister in law had invited herself, her husband, her children over, along with mother and father in law. On the outside I was more than welcoming but inside I was resentful and quite frankly just plain exhausted. A few days before sister in law asks if she can also bring her friend and her husband. Apparently a family member had just died and they would be sad and on their own. What I felt like ßying can't be put in print. I mean, couldn't they not come to me and take care of them themselves.
Anyway, they all came to me and everything worked out better than I expected as everybody helped out and made a greater effort, because of the ones grieving , probably. They brought lots of little surprises with them too. And they think I'm wonderful to boot. Good job they can't read minds.
Sorry, that was a bit of a ramble…
Oh wow Maz–what is it about Christmas that stretches our hospitality, such as it is, to the limit!? That is incredible you found it in your heart to welcome everyone–and isn't it also mysterious that so often when we do stretch, things turn out better than we could have hoped. The "other people" it turns out were not maliciously out to break us but in fact truly in need and truly grateful to be welcomed. Also I'm thinking of that parable in the Gospels where the one guy tells the father he'll do the dreaded task–then doesn't; and the other guy says No! Forge it!–and then does it…it seems like even a sliver of true intention to move toward love carries the day…Thanks so much for sharing–and now we get to look forward to Lent!