Dearest Friends,
As we prepare to celebrate a Christmas ‘like no other,’ finding many of ourselves sequestered with limited contact with family and friends due to the pandemic, my annual Christmas Greeting takes on special meaning. These months have provided an opportunity to prayerfully reflect on the ‘grateful memories’ of the many friends who have been a blessing to me in my life. I thank the good Lord for them and pray that good health, a reality we so often take for granted, may be the special gift we all celebrate in 2021.
Despite the physical restrictions of the past year, my health has thankfully held steady with my neurological condition plateauing. I’ve adjusted to my ‘new voice’ which is slower and less dulcet than before – but I still have a voice, thank God!
I’ve valued the companionship of my dear sister, Melinda, during this past year – from her multiple visits during the week, our Sunday dinners and multiple text during the day – loneliness and isolation have been kept at a minimum.
What I miss the most, understandably, has been gathering on Sundays to concelebrate the Eucharist with the Mission Basilica parish. I look forward to that experience in the coming year as we celebrate the hoped for ending of this Pandemic with the coming of the vaccine.
May our grateful remembrance of the Lord’s Birth at Christmas fill our hearts with the enduring hope and peace that only the Savior can bring to our lives. And may the New Year that will soon be upon us bring a final end to this shadow of darkness, with healing and health for all!
Love,
(Msgr.) Art