December 22, 2013
This week our Churches will be gloriously filled to 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 should open our hearts those who are lonely and in search of love and companionship to our table. We open our hearts and pocketbooks to those in need. This is the spirit of Christmas at home. 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 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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