The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-12-27
A HAPPY CHRISTMAS.

Although Christmas is essentially a
time of spiritual rejoicing, yet very
many Christia~s fail to partake of the
excessive spiritual joy in store for
! them during this holy season. Now
! adays they are too much distracted,
! absorbed and, it may be said, given
over completely to those joys and fes-
/ tivities and pleasures which are not
/ spiritual. They invert the order of
| things to their own spiritual detriment.
1t is true that Christmas festivities
are lawful and befitting, but that is
true only when they are enjoyed in the
proper manner, place and degree.
They hold only a secondary place
when compared to floods of graces and
spiritual joys and consultations which
the infant Saviour is only too ready to
bestow upon faithful Christians who
prepare themselves to celebrate the
solemn Feast of his Nativity in the
manner He should wish.
Christmas is not so much a. time of
feasting and interchanging of friend
ships, etc, as it is of spiritual rejoic
ing. The long established custom of
wishing friends and neighbors a happy
Christmas was never meant to refer so
much to the former kind of happiness
as to the latter.
It's meaning has reference to those
spiritual joys and graces and consola-
tions which the Lord has in store, at
this holy season, for all his faithful
followers, and, it includes all other
kinds of pleasures, only in so far as
they are in keeping and not out of har-
mony-much less not incompatible with
the spiritual. This is what is meant,
or at least, should be meant, by a
happy Christmas.
Therefore if the Infant Saviour is to
impart to us. and to flood our souls
with his spiritual graces and consola-
tions it is our first duty to remove
every obstacle that may stand in the
way. We must enter into ourselves by
prayer and self-examination, which He,
through holy church. exhorts us to do
during this holy season of advent
Having discovered where we have, in
the past placed an obstacle to grace.
we must firmly resolve, by the help of
Gods grace, to amend our lives-to
give up that evil habit. to battle
against that predominant passion, to
avoid that place or person that has
been an occasion of sin to us in the
past; in a word to rend our hearts and
not our garments, and thus by true
repentance and an efficacious resolution
of amendment. to approach the tribu-
nal Of Penance on Christmas eve and
receive with the utmost faith and devo-
ton, the adorable Body and Blood of
our Lovig Saviour on Christmas morn
ing. This is how good Catholics should
act if they would enjoy, in the true
Catholic sense of the word, "A happy
Christmas.
But. alas. how many Christians there
are who never realize what "a happy |
Christmas" in this sense, means: and |
whose happiness is of no higher grade !
than that which the Flesh-pots of |
Egypt can bestowl
Let it not be so in your case. dear |
reader.
If the burthen of sin weighs upon
you. remember this is especially the |
season of mercy and forgiveness and |
grace. If God be ready at all |
times to bestow his grace and mercy.
He is SO now ''in a most special man. |
ner"
How many sinful souls more guilty |
than you are having realized this and /
during this season of special
grace and mercy, became great saints
If you are oppressed by an evil habit
by a predominant passion. by a COM
panion or a place that may have been
the occasion of grave sin, now is the
time to turn over a new leaf
Now is the time to make good reso-
utioHs for divine grace shall be more
af--- Frs- -. Given to enable you to keen