Tag Archives: Christmas

The Gift that Compels…

Posted on by

0

image via from the heart of j

image via from the heart of j

The angel said to the shepherds, ” I proclaim to you a great joy… today the Savior of the world is born for you, alleluia.”

For you…for me…for all.

The Greatest Gift ever given.

No other gift given or received today makes sense without first receiving this Greatest Gift given.

Are we entranced by the pretty wrap and bow and have yet to open The Gift?…Have we put it on a shelf at a comfortable distance from our lives? …How are we certain we have opened The Gift?…

When the love of Christ compels us to share  The Gift with others…in that often quiet, but unique way, that God intends for our lives to become through His grace perfect acts of love that give witness to Him.

Merry Christmas to all my readers…may the love of Christ compel you to share The Gift with all on your life’s path,

Joyfully, From the Heart of J

Advertisement

Holy Haste of the Spirit…

Posted on by

0

image via from the heart of j

image via from the heart of j

Holy Haste of the Spirit? …or…Hectic Haste of the Holidays?

Holy Haste through the hill country of charity?…or…Hectic Hate through the mall of much?

Mary demonstrates to us the holy haste through the hill country of Judah to assist her cousin Elizabeth in her time of need.

Are we pursuing the holy haste that leas us to the gift of the nativity?…or the Hectic Haste that leads to the spinning of our wheels breathless in the holiday huff and puff?

It is one of those profound mysteries that in the holy haste of charity, there is a hint of that peace of timelessness that slows down our busy bodies because it connects us the holy hush of Christmas eternal.

May your holy haste this week be blessed.

John Lewis, on online retailer in the UK, recently released their 2015 Christmas Commercial and the video has gone viral. I think because many can relate. It’s about a girl named Lily who after looking through a telescope discovers the man in the moon. She is determined to let him know that someone is thinking of him. John Lewis has produced this commercial to bring awareness to the over a million senior citizens who will go the next holiday month without talking to a single person. See the video below…it will certainly inspire your Hoy Haste!

Are You the Tootsie in the Tootsie Roll Pop…the Prize in the Cracker Jack?

Posted on by

0

image by heart of j

image by heart of j

Recently when making a sandwich (yes, that’s gluten free bread)…I pulled out a slice of bread that looked like this…

and in the funny way this from the heart of j’s mind works I thought of a line from a TS Eliot poem, “We are the hollow men. We are the stuffed men leaning together headpiece filled with straw. Alas!”

And I thought of Christmas…

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season has begun. With  the secularization of Christmas so many are going through the motions in an almost robotic fashion. By this date I have to have a tree up – CHECK- , my shopping list is almost complete – CHECK- , holiday baking done -CHECK-, -CHECK-, -CHECK-, -CHECK-!

Have we become the hollow men?

In the secular shallowness, we need to be the tootsie in the tootsie roll pop, the prize in the Cracker Jack, the crème filling in the Twinkie to others…you know, the modern day salt in the Earth and leaven in the dough.

By our actions and our words, reminding people of the true meaning of Christmas. Drawing others into the truth that we are all extravagantly loved by “The Word who became Flesh and dwelled among us”

No longer hollow…our lives are forever changed!

Christmas Virus…WARNING…

Posted on by

0

image via from the heart of j

image via from the heart of j

WARNING……WARNING: CHRISTMAS VIRUS

Be on the alert for symptoms of inner Hope, Peace, Joy and Love. The hearts of a great many have already been exposed to this virus and it is possible that people everywhere could come down with it in epidemic proportions. This could pose a serious threat to what has, up to now, been a fairly stable condition of conflict in the world.

Some signs and symptoms of The Christmas Virus:

A tendency to:      think and act spontaneously rather than on fears based on past  experiences

An unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment

A loss of  interest in judging other people.

  • A loss of  interest in interpreting the actions of others.
  • A loss of  interest in conflict.
  • A loss of the ability to worry. (This is a very serious symptom.)
  • Frequent, overwhelming episodes of appreciation.
  • Contented  feelings of connectedness with others and nature.
  • Frequent attacks of smiling.
  • An increasing tendency to let things happen rather than make them happen.
  • An increased  susceptibility to the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.

Please send this warning out to all your friends. This virus can and has affected many systems. Some systems have been completely cleaned out because of it. (Author Unknown)

SPREAD THE GIFT!

Receive Anew…

Posted on by

3

heartmanger

As your heart, like the manger, receives anew the birth of Christ, may you give Christmas away to all who cross your path the whole year through.

8771-nativity3_edited_630w_tn

“It is Christmas every time you let God love others through you… yes, it is Christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand. ” Mother Teresa

Abundant Blessings of His Peace and Joy to you and yours!

Merry Christmas. Joy to the World, the Lord has come.

From, The Heart of J

Hectic Hustle…

Posted on by

2

imagesKHQCXQT0

   “It might be easy to run away to a monastery, away from the commercialization, the hectic hustle, the demanding family responsibilities of Christmas-time. Then we would have a holy Christmas. But we would forget the lesson of the Incarnation, of the enfleshing of God—the lesson that we who are followers of Jesus do not run from the secular; rather we try to transform it. It is our mission to make holy the secular aspects of Christmas just as the early Christians baptized the Christmas tree. And we do this by being holy people—kind, patient, generous, loving, laughing people—no matter how maddening is the Christmas rush…” Fr. Andrew Greeley

An Irish Christmas Blessing…

Posted on by

4

An Irish Christmas Blessing…

The Light of the Christmas star to you…

image via fromtheheartofj

image via fromtheheartofj

The warmth of home and hearth to you…

The cheer and good will of friends to you…

The hope of a childlike heart to you…

The joy of a thousand angels to you…

The Love of the Son and God’s peace to you.

image via fromtheheartofj

image via fromtheheartofj

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL…a bit late …but still in the Octave of Christmas!

God’s Peace, Love and Joy in abundance, Fromtheheartofj : )

 

A Progressive Flash Mob?….

Posted on by

18

Adoration of the Shepherdsby Castiglione

“Joy to the World! The Lord is come; Let earth receive her King; Let every heart, prepare him room and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n and nature sing, and heav’n and heav’n and nature sing. “

Yes, the King has come. Has he found room “at the Inn” of your heart?

The Shepherds tending to their flocks come to adore.

The Wise Men inspired by the Holy Spirit begin their journey in search for the King.

How many “wise men” in our midst today are still searching for the King?…

who are driven by the restlessness of their hearts to follow the star to find He who is the answer to all their longings?

The angels sang glory and praise that led many to come and adore.

We too this day can be those angels of glory and praise that announce the Good News to the “wise men” in search.

Below is a video that always brings tears to my eyes

and I have a challenge to make at the end of the clip.

Hallelujah

A bit difficult to begin a flash mob in the blogging world…but what about a “progressive” flash mob?

I challenge each who reads this post and watches the video to stand up, right where they are, and sing boldly in praise and thanksgiving a “Hallelujah from the heart”.

Together our Hallelujahs will unite, and with the angels above our song of praise becomes a prayer to lead the “Wise Men in search” to the heart of the King.

May we all this day be Messengers of the Good News!

Merry Christmas!

Born Within Us…

Posted on by

18

“Because there was no room in the Inn, Jesus had to be born elsewhere …

that is, in each one of us.

We may be simple and humble, like a stable…

But with Christ within us we can be magnificent and change the world.” (Michael Moran)

Live + Jesus.

image by fromtheheartofj

THE KING IS COMING…THE KING IS COMING…

HE IS ALMOST HERE!