Revolution of Love

Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

A Christmas Reflection: The Christmas Donkey

Here is a Christmas reflection from my better half. Enjoy!
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by Brian




Today Catholics throughout the world are celebrating Christmas! It is a time of rejoicing, but should also be a time of reflection.

There are a number of “principle players” that make up the story of Christ’s birth. Of course there is the most important player, the baby Jesus. From there you have Mary and Joseph, the angel Gabriel and his fellow angels, the Magi, the Star, and last but not least, the Shepherds. Within this story there is another character that Cardinal Albino Luciani, later to be Pope John Paul I, wrote about in a letter from 1977. The letter was entitled, “The Lesson of the Christmas Donkey.”
In this short letter, Cardinal Luciani lifts up the Christmas Donkey as a witness to several key virtues that are important for Catholics to live out.
The first trait is “humility.” I don’t think anyone would deny that donkeys are one of the most humble of creatures. As Catholics, humility is an extremely important virtue especially if you are striving for holiness. To be humble is not to be a human doormat, but rather it is to walk in the light and truth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is a perfect time for us to reflect upon the virtue of humility and how we live it, or not live it, on a daily basis.
The second trait, pointed out by Cardinal Luciani, is the work ethic of the donkey. The donkey is known to be hard working, and as Cardinal Luciani writes, a “tenacious worker,” whose function is to carry heavy loads or perform other menial tasks. This image should remind us, as children of God, how laziness is not acceptable. Rather, we are all called to labor and to work for the glory of God, no matter how humble or great the task.
The third trait explored by Cardinal Luciani is how the donkey is a friend of the poor. The Cardinal refers to the donkey as the “right arm of the poor.” As we enter the Christmas season and move into the New Year it would be a good idea to reflect on how we view the poor and also whether we, as Catholics, contribute to helping the poor either by a hands on apostolate or through financial assistance.
The fourth and final trait is that the donkey is an animal of “patience and gentleness.” Although donkeys are known to be stubborn, they are the gentlest of creatures. Their patience truly shines, especially when they are forced to labor and carry heavy loads for long stretches of time. A good question to ask ourselves would be: do I strive in my interaction with family members, co-workers, even strangers to be an example of “gentleness and patience”?
With Christmas here these lessons from the Christmas donkey can certainly help us to be better Catholics. By practicing humility, working hard, helping the poor, being patient and gentle with others we will certainly reflect the light of Christ into a world that is growing spiritually dark. God bless and Merry Christmas.


Birthday Wishes!

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Andrew & Brian

A belated happy birthday (6/17) to my sweetheart, Brian. It is funny that this morning I was reading the headlines of my Yahoo homepage and one of the articles was about celebs that were voted as the sexiest bachelors. Some of these guys were handsome and some were a little too “Ken Doll” for my taste, but it got me to thinking about how subjective attractiveness can be.
I don’t know what others see when they take a look at Brian, but I have to admit that there are times when he looks over at me and I still swoon like a schoolgirl. But it is far more than his good looks that get to me. He is one of the most incredible men I’ve ever met – loving, hardworking, funny and an example of finding the holy in the everyday.
It is one thing to be married to someone you love but to be married to someone you like so darn much, oh yeah! And I know that no guy is perfect but it is safe to say he is MY perfect match, bringing out the best in me and I in him. I love you, Sweetie!