SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26
Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-59; Psalm 31; Matthew 10: 17-22
Our Advent journey of waiting with hope and intention for the birth of Jesus has transformed into the abundant joy of "God with us."
It is in this Christmas season that we encounter God's greatest gift, Jesus, born not amongst wealth or privilege but from the humblest of beginnings. It is a powerful sign that following Jesus is not about the path of power, but rather of living in communion with our neighbor and world, especially with people who are experiencing poverty and injustice.
Pope Leo XIV shared in his 2025 Christmas homily that "the peace of God is born from a newborn's cry that is welcomed, from weeping that is heard. It is born amidst ruins that call out for new forms of solidarity."
May this Christmas season of joy and peace remind us that it is not simply in spite of the weariness we may feel about our hurting world, but also because of it, that we are continuously called to be sources of light, love and healing.
Jennifer Maez
Associate Director of Advocacy and Engagement
Catholic Health Association
Pause
Where do you feel God calling you into deeper peace within yourself and to greater relationship with our world?
Pray
God of the Universe, Creator of Light and Dark: You have formed us together as one body to proclaim Your peace. Draw us beyond our own narrowness to recognize Christ within ourselves and one another. Help us to choose unity – humility over pride and patience over anger. Make in us Your dwelling place, O God, that we may be worthy builders of Your Kingdom and true instruments of Your grace. Amen.