Zenit News has a very helpful story on one parish's attempt to help those who suffer from Christmas Depression. Father Xavier Morlans of St. Raymond of Penyafort Parish in Barcelona, Spain says that
Many are seeking a possible happiness associated with humility. The symptoms of the so-called Christmas doldrums are: an excessive consumerism, memories of deceased family members, and the stress of preparing holiday meals, etc., but there is a deep-seated kind [of symptom] in the West, due to the 'sediment' that remains in the DNA of a European of the secularized world after so many years of Christianity.
The Zenit article says that the priest invites the faithful to rediscover and relish Christmas and to relearn a personal encounter with God. After all, that *is* what Christmas is all about. It is not about a particular menu, or decoration, or gift. It is about the Gift that is always available to us--Christ Himself.
This is such a great idea! I wish that more parishes could reach out to the lonely and depressed during this holy season.
ReplyDeleteIt is so true that we are inundated with a false sense of joy from consumerism especially during Advent. The real joy is in both the anticipation of Jesus and His Birth. The Infant King is the Ultimate Joy that no one can take away. If we focus on this Joy, we will then receive the grace to carry our cross and rejoice!
Nicely put!
ReplyDeleteI agree, it's a very good idea, people need to be reached out to, especially this time of year when so much is on the mind.
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