By Rev Msgr. Robert Kinnally
Christmas is now just days away, and we might be tempted do shift into panic mode with cries of “Wasn’t Thanksgiving yesterday?!” or “Thank Heaven for Gift Cards” or “The Wise Men showed up late with their gifts, so why can’t I?” Instead, I’m proposing an “All is calm, all is bright” alternative to these last few days before Christmas. The proposals are inspired by my recent worries about how our cell phones interrupt opportunities to notice God at work in the simple movements of life and in the hearts and faces of those God puts in front of us every day of our lives. This list is a challenge to fast from our cell phones in order to strengthen relationships, to wait in holy silence for Christ to enter deeply into our hearts, and reduce distractions from good prayer.
1. Make more room for God in your busy life. Create space in your heart for receiving the wonder of the Incarnation (God breaking into the world). Fast from what keeps you from prayer.
Put your phone aside for a pre-determined amount of time each day and use the time for prayer, conversation, or rest.
2. Spend time daydreaming about God loving the world so much that he sent his Son to save us. Imagine God loving YOU.
3. Talk to one another. Have dinner as a family; put your phones in a basket in the next room. The first one to take his or her phone out of the basket has to do the dishes, take out the trash, and do one other unpopular household task.
4. Play board games often.
5. Bake cookies together and tell stories about your favorite Christmas.
6. Figure out who’s lonely on your street, visit that person, bring them the cookies you baked, and let them tell their stories.
7. Invite someone outside your comfort zone to coffee or dinner.
8. Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while, just listen, then put down your phone, pray for that person and all those in need.
9. Heal a wounded relationship with the help of Jesus.
10. Don’t spend a lot of time shopping; instead, say prayers for friends and write them a card that tells them you prayed for them. You can’t put a price on prayers said,
11. Have coffee with anyone who will go with you and share funny stories only.
12. If you shop, shop local – your chances of running into friends and neighbors and saying “Merry Christmas” increase tenfold.
13. Smile at strangers.
14. Invite friends or neighbors who haven’t been to church in a while to come with you to Church with you at Christmas. Keep inviting them after Christmas.
15. Count your blessings. Thank God for everything – even the messy things in life.
16. Put down your phone and look up at the stars and the sky and imagine you’re in peaceful Bethlehem the night Jesus was born.
17. Pray for peace.
I’m praying that you will have a blessed Christmas!
Father Rob Kinnally is the pastor of Saint Aloysius Catholic Church in New Canaan.
