Celebrating Christmas as One

Christmas is a time for celebration: we celebrate our faith, we celebrate in the spirit of giving, and we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior. What many remember about the word “celebration” is the connotation of happiness; what many forget is the connotation of togetherness.

God’s Love Is Everywhere

It is easy to dismiss the importance of going to a gathering to celebrate one’s faith. After all, it is said that God is everywhere, so He can hear our prayers wherever and whenever they are uttered. This is true, of course: wherever hands can be folded, heads bowed, and hearts opened, He can hear and listen. 

Church is Home to a Bigger Family

But one’s voice can only carry so far. The meaning behind the celebration does not just lie in the fact that the Lord receives our message; there is also meaning in delivering the message as one. One soul certainly is not insignificant, but many souls speaking as one certainly have a greater weight. And certainly, as one sees how many people share in his or her devotion, that person’s devotion is reinforced and strengthened. Those whose voices waver in loneliness may find themselves shouting louder, emboldened by the knowledge that they are part of a family.

At Old St. Mary’s Church in Detroit, it is our constant mission to ensure that people, wherever they are from, are free to become part of our Catholic church. It is as Saint John Chrysostom said: “You cannot pray at home as a Church, where there is a great multitude, where exclamations are cried out to God as from one great heart, and where there is something more: the union of minds, the accord of souls, the bond of charity.” A Catholic is Catholic wherever he or she is, but every one of them needs a home, something bigger than himself or herself to belong in.