Being Welcoming
In a day or two
our Church will be gloriously filled as we celebrate the coming of our Savior.
There will be visitors from out of town visiting relatives as well as people
who may live just down the street from us who haven’t been with us for a while.
I was brought up to always put company first. I was to take their coats, smile
warmly and offer them the best seat in the house. The goal being to make them
feel as if they were in their own home. Our Church is very much like a home. We
come together to worship, share a meal, and socialize before and after Mass. We
are family.
Think back to last Christmas… Did you put on your “company
best”? Did you welcome a newcomer to our family? Or… did you think to yourself,
“that stranger took my pew!” Or ask… “whose car is in my usual parking space?”
And then go grumbling and finding a new space to sit or park in. At
Christmas-time we all have to shift from our usual seats at the dining room
table to accommodate our guests. We open our hearts and pocketbooks to those in
need. This is the spirit of Christmas. Should it be any different in our Church
home?
This Christmas let us put on our “company best.” Today, before
leaving, let us pick up any stray bulletins, gum wrappers and Cheerios to
prepare for our guests. Let us at Christmas Mass give up our usual seats and
let our company have the best seats in the house. Let us park further away so
that those who are visiting will feel welcomed.
Let us welcome our company with open arms and warm hearts. You
may never know the impact of a smile or a simple Merry Christmas will have on
someone. Who knows? Perhaps instead of feeling like “company” they will begin
to feel like family and a part of our home.
God Bless, Holly Clark
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