By Dominican Sister Catherine Stewart
Special to The Message
Not long ago, a four-year-old began the Hail Mary as follows: “Hello, Mary, full of Jesus;” as I chuckled inside, I realized that this little one knew what Christmas is about! The Incarnation happens every single day of our lives. We are full of Jesus in so many ways.
We are full of Jesus as we put aside our to-do list and are present to a family member, friend or a stranger who just needs us to listen to his or her story. We are full of Jesus when we take time to sit in solitude and reflect on the many gifts (e.g. smiles, clothing donations, hugs) that we give all year long.
We are full of Jesus when we volunteer to help those who can’t help themselves. We are full of Jesus when we attend Mass and welcome those around us. We are full of Jesus when we sit and cry with another, knowing words are useless.
We are full of Jesus when we take time to make memories with those we love instead of cleaning or doing one more Christmas chore. We are full of Jesus as we stand in the darkness focused on the twinkling stars and remember the people who are stars in our lives.
I challenge you to be aware of how you are full of Jesus as you dash from store to store, attend Christmas gatherings galore, embrace traditional Christmas chores, and hope and pray for peace more and more.
Dominican Sister Catherine Stewart serves as Principal of the St. Agnes Campus of Evansville’s Westside Catholic School.