Christmas Eve 2009 - Unity
Greetings from a white and wet Wisconsin on a rainy Christmas Eve. After a big snowstorm earlier in the month, we got hit with more snow last night... and now are getting rain for tonight and tomorrow. So, there's white on the ground, but not white in the air, and I think a lot of travelers would rather have rain than snow.
For those of you new to this E-mail/blog posting/Facebook entry/passenger pigeon message, this is my yearly Christmas Eve tradition. For the past 12 years now, I've sat down at the computer to compose a message as a final act as Christmas Eve turns into Christmas Day. It was originally just a "Merry Christmas" sent to anyone I saw online on Marquette's computer system, then it grew into an E-mail for some friends... and now it's grown to dozens if not hundreds of people.
As I think back over the past year, my mind turns to all the changes that have occurred in my life. The biggest change is, of course, my marriage to my stunningly beautiful bride Sara. We got married this past July, and marriage has made my life better in ways I never thought possible. We also purchased my grandma's house earlier this year and now live in the suburbs of Milwaukee, close enough to all the conveniences we like in life... but far enough away to not be fully entrenched in the hustle and bustle of the city.
So, obviously, my theme this year should be "Change", right?
Well... no. As much as change was present in my life, it's not the word that comes to my mind right now. Instead, I'm thinking about one of the parts of the wedding ceremony that Sara and I participated in, and that's the lighting of the Unity Candle.
The Unity Candle symbolizes two lives becoming one, two souls joined together. The Gospel reading at our wedding highlights this:
"Haven't you read," [Jesus] replied, "that at the beginning the
Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason
a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,
and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two,
but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not
separate."
-- Matthew 19:4-6
Marriage is a ceremony that is based in unity, showing the commitment and love of the husband and wife.
But unity isn't just a religious concept. We can see unity of families, of friends. Unity of workers, of police officers, of firefighters. Unity of teachers, of caregivers, of doctors and nurses.
Many things in this life force us to not see the unity all around us. We get distracted by problems at home, at work, at school. We get caught up in petty little squabbles. We see others around us discriminating against other people because of race or class or whatever.
The past year may not have been great for a lot of us, whether due to personal, professional or financial problems. Now is the time to see the unity we have with each other and rely on our combined strength to get us through the hard times, so that we can enjoy the good times together.
You are reading this because you have touched my life in some way, no matter how big or small. You and I are united in some common interest or some common way of life -- maybe we troop together, maybe we work together, maybe we see each other once a year, maybe we are just part of the grand human race. Maybe we're not of the same religion, maybe we're not of the same race, maybe we're not of the same background -- but we're still united.
And so, I ask God's blessings on you this Christmas season and throughout the new year. May you feel the strength of Unity in your life, and may you find good tidings and joy every morning and peace every night.
And may your lives be as blessed as I have with my new bride. May our unity give you hope and joy as you have given us this past year.
God bless.
With love,
-Phil
For those of you new to this E-mail/blog posting/Facebook entry/passenger pigeon message, this is my yearly Christmas Eve tradition. For the past 12 years now, I've sat down at the computer to compose a message as a final act as Christmas Eve turns into Christmas Day. It was originally just a "Merry Christmas" sent to anyone I saw online on Marquette's computer system, then it grew into an E-mail for some friends... and now it's grown to dozens if not hundreds of people.
As I think back over the past year, my mind turns to all the changes that have occurred in my life. The biggest change is, of course, my marriage to my stunningly beautiful bride Sara. We got married this past July, and marriage has made my life better in ways I never thought possible. We also purchased my grandma's house earlier this year and now live in the suburbs of Milwaukee, close enough to all the conveniences we like in life... but far enough away to not be fully entrenched in the hustle and bustle of the city.
So, obviously, my theme this year should be "Change", right?
Well... no. As much as change was present in my life, it's not the word that comes to my mind right now. Instead, I'm thinking about one of the parts of the wedding ceremony that Sara and I participated in, and that's the lighting of the Unity Candle.
The Unity Candle symbolizes two lives becoming one, two souls joined together. The Gospel reading at our wedding highlights this:
"Haven't you read," [Jesus] replied, "that at the beginning the
Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason
a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife,
and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two,
but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not
separate."
-- Matthew 19:4-6
Marriage is a ceremony that is based in unity, showing the commitment and love of the husband and wife.
But unity isn't just a religious concept. We can see unity of families, of friends. Unity of workers, of police officers, of firefighters. Unity of teachers, of caregivers, of doctors and nurses.
Many things in this life force us to not see the unity all around us. We get distracted by problems at home, at work, at school. We get caught up in petty little squabbles. We see others around us discriminating against other people because of race or class or whatever.
The past year may not have been great for a lot of us, whether due to personal, professional or financial problems. Now is the time to see the unity we have with each other and rely on our combined strength to get us through the hard times, so that we can enjoy the good times together.
You are reading this because you have touched my life in some way, no matter how big or small. You and I are united in some common interest or some common way of life -- maybe we troop together, maybe we work together, maybe we see each other once a year, maybe we are just part of the grand human race. Maybe we're not of the same religion, maybe we're not of the same race, maybe we're not of the same background -- but we're still united.
And so, I ask God's blessings on you this Christmas season and throughout the new year. May you feel the strength of Unity in your life, and may you find good tidings and joy every morning and peace every night.
And may your lives be as blessed as I have with my new bride. May our unity give you hope and joy as you have given us this past year.
God bless.
With love,
-Phil