Guest Op-Ed: A Christmas wish

Each year as we get older, doesn’t it seem as though Christmas comes faster and faster?

In a blink of an eye, the baby we once held on his or her first Christmas is suddenly a parent. For many, our parents may be less energetic or even have gone to their reward in heaven, as mine have.

Christmas is unique in that it is a time of year which we look forward to with much anticipation, yet we always need more time before it arrives. What makes Christmas different from other holidays? What makes it the most festive and (at times) the most somber of seasons? How can we learn to live in the present, enjoying the miracle of Christmas for all our todays, not dwelling on yesterday or worrying about tomorrow?

After a year of devastating storms and destruction, violence and uncertainty, let us get back to basics and renew ourselves for the upcoming year in the true miracle of Christmas, the birth of Christ our Savior.

Christmas is a celebration of love, the love of our God who emptied Himself to become man, who ultimately suffered on a cross and rose from the dead to save us all from the chains of sin. The love of our God is the true gift we open on Christmas morning and we must remember to share the gift we have been given.

This Christmas, enjoy each moment of festivity wrapped in the love of Christ, understanding that while change may seem as though it is the only constant, it is not, for His love is never ending. The love we have for the baby we held continues and grows each day, even if that baby is now too big to hold.

The love we have for our parents and loved ones is a present love even if they are no longer with us. It is up to you and me to make each moment count, taking with us Christmas past and enjoying Christmas future today.

The Love of God is the constant thing which stays with us every day, when all else seems to be changing around us and time seems to be flying by, His love is our “Present,” everyday!

Praying for a world of peace and health in 2014, I wish for you and your family a blessed and merry Christmas.

Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello is Vicar for Development, R.C. Diocese of Brooklyn.