What I celebrate at Christmas
by Diocese of Des Moines | December 19, 2022
The single greatest gift of my life is my Catholic Faith. Father John Riccardo has a radio program called “Christ is the Answer.” Christ is the answer. He is the answer to everything… He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life… He is the source of all the life and love that I desire.
The more I follow Christ, inviting him ever more deeply into my heart and life, the richer my life becomes. My Catholic faith doesn’t necessarily take away the chaos and suffering of my life although it can and in many cases it has. What it does do is allow me to find peace in the midst of the chaos and to find joy in the midst of my suffering. Christ is the answer.
I can’t follow someone I don’t know. So, how do I know Christ that I may follow him more closely? I spend time with him in his church by going to adoration chapels, by going to Mass, by carving out time every single day to be with him in silence. I listen to our priests; I examine my conscience and go to confession, receiving the sacrament of reconciliation on a regular basis. This has changed my life and it continues to change my life so I can become all that I desire to be… all that others need me to be… all that God created me to be… and all that He continues to call and invite me to be.
Christ is the answer. The more I surrender my life to him, the more I let go and really place my trust in him, the more he can do in me and through me. He is with me always; I ask for his help and guidance throughout everyday… and he responds. He loves me so much and he has blessed my life beyond what I could have ever imagined.
The reality is I am so very limited in having the life I desire without Christ, and Christ is so very limited in what he can do in my life without my permission, without my cooperation. With Christ all things are possible… and so I believe, I say Yes, I give him permission to let his will be done, not mine… for his ways are so far above my ways.
The last Sunday of the Church year just before Advent begins is the feast day, Christ the King of the Universe. This is my favorite feast day, and the power of this feast comes alive when I invite Christ to be the King of my heart and Lord of my life.
This is what I celebrate at Christmas. These are the gifts I share with you; Christ is the gift. Christ is the answer.
Merry Christmas!
Bob Hallgren is a parishioner of St. Pius X Parish in Urbandale.