The three weeks before Christmas

by Fred Schaeffer, OFS

At the beginning of the three weeks before Christmas, there is a nice sense of inner peace. As a senior citizen, I am spared the frenetic pre-holiday shopping, but years back it was a lot of fun. Buying presents for each other, for other family members, wrapping presents, buying a Christmas Tree, trimming it with all sorts of trinkets, colorful, funny things, old stuff from way back that we had stored in the attic from year to year. We lived in Nijmegen, in the Netherlands, for the first fourteen years of my life, the first five years unhappy ones since WWII was raging on above us, as we stayed in the cellar. The Armistice in the Netherlands was on May 5, 1945, and slowly we began to live again but it took a long time before things were back to normal.

The Second Sunday of Advent is around the corner, and I get impatient waiting for Christmas, not because of the commercial hoopla, but I am waiting for the Liturgical celebration of Christmas, the birth of the Child Jesus, and the joy He brings to our hearts and souls. It is good to have these three weeks, so that we can get ready for the beautiful and peaceful days to come.

I was always an impatient kid. You know kids like that. Every five minutes they've got to ask, "Is it time yet?" Time to go buy an ice-cream cone, or time to take out the dog, or play with a favorite toy. And some parents are close to a nervous breakdown listening to their kids; I hoped not mine. Mom and dad are gone to the Father, many years now, but I still think of them often. After they had me, they wanted more kids, I remember hearing them say so, but the timing of the beginning of World War II and the upsetting years that followed precluded further growth in the family, and Mom was past her child-bearing years when the war was over.

When WWII was over, wars didn't stop there even though they said it was the last war. Man's hate is very present in some places in the world, and if we listen to the news, we hear about it in the neighborhoods of large cities as well as in other parts of the world. Those thoughts bring us back to Christmas, strangely enough, because Jesus Christ as a baby and as a young man traversed the lands of the Middle East where fighting never seems to stop. Why could people hate so much as to destroy their neighbor? It makes no sense. Wars never solved anything. It has torn families asunder, made hundreds upon thousands homeless, and you know the rest of the story.

Friends tell me I should forget those evil times. But I cannot as I lived through it, and there are daily reminders of evil all around the world. There is also a lot of good in the world. There are people who have consideration for others. Some of the Veterans I meet have shown they are still suffering but they are very good people. People I meet in Church are very good people. I know many Secular Franciscans, and most are wonderful acquaintances and friends, sisters, and brothers. The three weeks before Christmas should be beautiful and peaceful weeks. For many people they are just that. People who understand their obligations toward others, fueled by a deep and abiding love for Jesus Christ. With His Grace and Love, peace is possible. During these three weeks as we remember His Birth so many years ago in Bethlehem, let us with renewed courage and faith bring peace to our families, friends, and loved ones. Family feuds are healed when people swallow their anger and pride and say they are sorry, to the Lord and to those they are fighting with. Then on Christmas, let us thank the Lord for all that He has given us! He has given us the means to be with Him eternally. That means forever! Use the Grace, He gives us, wisely.

Wishing you a Blessed Christmas 2021!

Fred Schaeffer, OFS
Dec. 3, 2021

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