Of all the treasured traditions in my family, the ones that surround our celebration of Christmas are probably my favorite. The pumpernickel and sausage “hanky-pank” appetizers on Christmas Eve, fighting with my cousins over the rarest pieces of beef tenderloin at Christmas dinner, making risotto with my mom; they’re all near the top of the list. I’m sure there are non-food related traditions as well, but since we’re talking about family, it’s safe to assume that if we’re together, we are probably eating.
One tradition that has continued for generations at this point is the Christmas Eve celebration at the house my Grandma grew up in in St. Bernard. As a child I always assumed that we got together at that house because we had always done so, and why mess with a good thing? But when I was older I was told that the original Christmas Eve party on Baker Avenue happened in 1945, and it was a celebration of gratitude that my great uncles had returned home safely from World War II. Every year since then, we have come together as a family to celebrate, share our joy, and drink a toast to those we love and those we have lost.I have spent at least a little time at that celebration every year of my life, and I hope to do so for the rest of my days.In the same way that I didn’t understand the origins of our family’s Christmas Eve celebration, I wonder how many people in our region and in the Church as a whole miss the point of
Christmas. Even if we attend Christmas Mass, prioritize time with loved ones, and somehow manage to avoid the crushing spirit of materialism, we might still fail to grasp the unparalleled significance of this celebration.Christmas is certainly about gratitude; but even more than being thankful for the blessings of family, friends, prosperity, health, or any other good thing, it is a moment of gratitude for God’s perpetual and unfailing love for us.
 
Seeing us in our weakness, and knowing that we had rejected Him countless times before, Our Father seized upon the first, best opportunity to come to our rescue. In the fullness of time, God came to His people; not in a vision, and not through a messenger. He sent His Son, born of a woman, to show us how to live, to teach us how to worship, to found His Church on earth, and, in the Sacraments, to leave for us the pledge of His love which we are meant to enjoy in its fullness in the world to come.

In just two days the Universal Church will gather to mark the entrance into the world of God’s greatest gift to us: Himself. Christ’s birth begins His long road towards Calvary, the Cross, and the Resurrection, when He completes the work of sanctifying His people. As we come together as a parish family on this great solemnity, may we thank God for all the incredible blessings He has bestowed upon us in our lives, but most especially, we would do well to thank Him for sending His Son to live among us and guide our path. We do so by surrendering everything we have and everything we are into His hands, and trusting that God will care for us, if only we trust in His Divine Providence.

Merry Christmas, and prayers always,
Fr. McCullough