Reflections on Our Christmas Celebration

     Jesus our Infant King has been born; with Mary we rejoice. As we celebrated His birth during the twelve days of Christmas, the convent was filled with sounds of carols and there were lots of wonderful treats. Our chapel was beautifully decorated, with lots of lights, and poinsettias to honor our Infant King. During the Christmas Season, we were blessed to have Conventual Masses for each of the great feasts, with wonderful liturgical music provided by our choir.
          
      Throughout the Christmas Season the Sisters participated in many special traditions, including choosing saints, and sayings from a saint to pray with during the year, enjoying the "Three Kings cupcakes" on the Feast of the Epiphany, and spending time singing Christmas Carols. Each new year, we look forward to discovering which saint has "chosen us" for that year, sometimes they are saints we already know well.  At other times, we have the opportunity to learn more about a new saint. On the feast of the Epiphany, we eagerly await the delicious Three Kings Cupcakes, which look like ordinary desserts but hidden in four of them is a small bean or nut. As each Sister eats her cupcake she tries to finish quickly since the first one to find a bean receives the gift of gold (charity) for that year, the second receives frankincense (prayer), while the third receives myrrh (mortification). Finally the fourth sister is considered the "fourth wise man" who persevered to the end. Another tradition we enjoy during Christmastide, is gathering together around a nice warm fire to sing our favorite Christmas Carols, and to learn some new ones. We thank God for the times when we are able to sing to Him, and enjoy the company of our fellow sisters.
         
      God has become man for us, the joy of this truth should draw us ever deeper into the Heart of Christ with each passing year. May we never lose sight of the wonder of Christmas, but grow to appreciate and understand it more and more fully.