Today, we are pleased to bring you a Christmas reflection from Father Leo from Grace Before Meals.  Through his cooking videos, books, speaking engagements, and his website, Father Leo reminds families how important it is that families share meals together.  Here is an excerpt from Father Leo’s Christmas ‘Email Blast’.

A Home for Jesus

It’s that time of the year again when we decorate the Christmas tree and the house takes on a winter wonderland feel.  Christmas decorations can be helpful in putting us in a “Holy day” mood.

Did you know the Christmas tree (the ever green) was used to encourage pagans to see how the pointy tree top gives us a direction to the truth – God in Heaven.  The Christmas star, tinsel, and Christmas cards all have deep spiritual and religious significance.

Despite the expensive, and at times frustrating, task of putting up decorations, the best way that we can prepare for Christmas is by making sure we are preparing our home for Jesus as the guest of honor.  Preparing our homes for Christ requires us to prepare our hearts for Him.

In this holiday season, we have to ask ourselves if we let church and personal prayer take a back seat to Christmas preparations.  When considering your preparations for Christmas, be sure to take a cue from those who celebrated Christmas for the first time.  Consider how the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph prepared for the miracle of birth.  Meditate and pray about how you prepare your home for Christmas and you may see that Christ prefers the humble stable of Bethlehem to tinsel and light decorations.  Take time and celebrate the seasonal liturgies with sincere faith and you’ll hear how a silent night is preferred over the din of overplayed Santa songs.  And, if you really take St. Nicholas seriously by praying with that saint, you’ll understand how through prayer we can become like saints.

As you and your family prepare your home for Christmas, don’t start with a tree or tinsel.  Start with the most important home you can offer Jesus: your pure heart.

Be sure to come back to catholicroundup.com tomorrow and every day in December for more reflections produced by great Catholic New Media personalities during our Catholic New Media 12 Days of Christmas.

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