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The Christmas countdown is on, and people are shopping, planning festive menus, and merrily dashing about. But the season can wear a different face for those of us who live alone -- who haven't yet married (or fear we might never), who have aged and watched our parents die, or who live far from our folks and siblings. Others of us have spouses who are far away, perhaps on necessary business or even in combat. For these and other reasons, we may find ourselves largely isolated in this season of family togetherness.
We might have no children of our own to delight with presents, no one to visit on Christmas Eve. Or, having accepted a charitable dinner invitation from kindly friends, we may feel like a fifth wheel on the minivan. Not to be melodramatic about it, but there is something profoundly dispiriting about going straight from a Christmas Mass or dinner to an Automat or lonely apartment, or looking at the Madonna and Child and wishing you were a parent or had loving family nearby.Celebrating a Birthday. It seems ironic that this season of "joy to the world" can stand as a spiritual challenge, even a cross. But with the gift of faith, we can fight self-pity and gloom and turn it into an opportunity for grace. In fact, we can think of the season as our special time with Jesus…
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