CHRISTMAS DAY 2009 : JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THIS JOYOUS SEASON...

2:05 am - I just returned from concelebrating the Midnight Mass at St. Philomene's Church with Fr. Eduino. He presided and preached; and he asked me to proclaim the Gospel and say a few words at the end of Mass. This was the forty fifth consecutive Midnight Mass I have been present at since Christmas Eve 1965, and I hold it dear as one of my personal Christmas traditions. I enjoyed the wonderful conversations with the parishioners and visitors at the doors of the church after Mass, and had a Christmas reunion chat with my Sac State fraternity brother, Scott Vogelsang, who was in attendance tonight. My family's custom after we returned from Midnight Mass was to spend an hour and a half or so, celebrating at home, with light refreshments such as oranges, tangerines, mixed nuts in the shell, (peanuts, almonds, hazel and brazil nuts, especially) heated in foil on the stove, and root beer, orange, or lemon and lime sodas. As we kids grew older, some years egg nog was included. Bedtime was at approximately 3 am, for several hours sleep, before the opening of Christmas presents Christmas morning before breakfast at about 10 o'clock...9:20 am - On this Christmas Morning when Joy and Hope came into the world in the person of God's Son, Jesus as the Eternal Word of the Father, who enveloped our human flesh and bridged the divide between the Divine and Humankind, we rejoice and celebrate our gift of salvation. The festivities surrounding the Nativity of Christ our Lord and Savior, Christmas Mass, the giving and receiving of presents, Christmas trees, holiday lights, candles, seasonal songs, feasting on special food and drink, gatherings of families, friends, and fellow believers, many who travel far distances to be near home and hearth, are grounded in the Holy Birth of the Christ Child, the Redeemer of Humankind. How are you personally including the, "Word Made Flesh", Jesus the Christ as the Reason for your Season of Joy, Hope, Peace, in the Life, Light, and Love, of the Savior of the World ? Praying, worshipping, ministering, with and for our loved ones, community members, as well all God's People on earth is our clarion call during the seventeen days of Christmas that open today. I must prepare to preside at Presentation's 10:30 am Christmas Mass...1:05 pm - I had a very enjoyable 10:30 am Christmas Day Mass with the wonderful people of Presentation Parish and the phenomenal Mike Bobo and the Presentation Choir. The warmth of greetings at the door of the church after Mass for Christmas and in their farewells to me as I go In Residence Sacred Heart Parish in East Sacramento, New Year's Day were heartfelt and magnanimous. They, like the parishioners of St. Philomene's say they will miss me and I surely know how much I will miss them. I am lunching on more of the Christmas ham with slices of cheddar and monterey jack cheese and coffee with a splash of egg nog. With Christmas carols wafting in the background and the classic film, "Little Women", airing on TCM. My holiday family Christmas dinner is at 5 pm, so I prepare to go there and socialize with them before dinner...9;50 pm - My Christmas Dinner hostess my very dear friend, Ramona Bugatto and her family provided a fine feast as always, of homemade ravioli, ham, roast beef, peas, carrots, a gelatin salad, and tossed green salad, with my dessert being sugar free double chocolate chip ice cream. Having Christmas Dinner with the Bugatto-Mugnaini families annually as a priest, is one of the genuine joys of the season for me. True to my rounding out my celebration I am sitting near my Christmas creche and listenning to Christmas music, as I open a few gifts. Realizing the greatest gift I have received this year is the generous gift of a kidney transplant. Just today I learned one of the parishioners I am leaving has been diagnosed with kidney disease. This reminded me of the Mayo Clinic statistic that there are 77,000 kidney failure patients presently in the United States, but only 11,000 living donors annually. Please join me in advocating for, and encouraging organ donation and brighten the prospects for a kidney transplant of so many in critical need. What would Jesus our Savior do ? Hoping you and your familes are having a Happy Christmas.........Fr. Troy David Powers