December 2000,

Hello friends,

Merry December every body! I hope you’re as excited about the holiday season as I am. I love December! I think a big part of the fun is the anticipation and the preparations that come with celebrating the birth of Christ. The crisp, cold air and the smell of wood burning in the fireplace just add the perfect touch to this Season of Joy. This is one of the busiest month in the year for me, yet I still enjoy it a great deal... there’s this unshakable feeling of excitement and happiness inside of me. How about you my friends, what does Christmas mean to you? What is it about Christmas that you look forward to the most?

When I was little, what I liked most was getting gifts from Santa. On Christmas day, my sisters and I would get up really early to search for our "hidden" presents which Santa had left for us the night before. This was the best part of Christmas and it was our family’s tradition until I got to the age of 8 or 9. It was at this time that I found out from my classmates the shocking news about Santa Claus... I was devastated - a big part of my childhood world was shattered since that dreadful revelation. By the way, if you have any younger siblings who still believe in Santa, please, let them enjoy this precious moment and don’t ruin it for them. We only get to be kids once. The idea of a sweet, old, gentle Santa bringing gifts to little children really lights up a kid’s heart.

As for me, many Christmas have gone by since then and my understanding of Christmas had also changed with time. During my childhood years, the focus was on Santa and the toys. As I got older, my focus shifted towards receiving gifts and new clothes. At college time, Christmas, for me, was a chance for a nice break from studying and some well-deserved partying. By the time I had a family of my own, my focus at Christmas time was decorating the house, buying gifts for family, relatives and friends and writing lots and lots of Christmas cards. It’s been pretty much the same ever since. For the last 13 years, however, I’ve wanted to celebrate Christ’s birth in a deeper, more meaningful way. I want to be closer to God in order to better appreciate His Gift of Love - "God so love the world that He gave His only Son...". Unfortunately, every year, I always got myself tangled up in a web of "material / worldly obligations" which ultimately took away the focus on Christ himself.

At the start of the Advent season, I used to vowed to myself that I’ll focus more on Jesus and His uncompromising Love for mankind by coming into the world as a helpless infant. At the end of Christmas season, I always felt disappointed at myself because I was too distracted by other secondary activities such as shopping, decorating, gift wrapping, helping with the Christmas Program, cooking, etc... every thing other than being in tuned with the Birthday Boy himself! Not that the things I did was bad, they were all good things to do, but they’re not the primary reason for Christmas. Christmas is not about gifts, cards, shows/programs, family meals, etc... These things are just ways to express our joy in the coming of our Savior. These things wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for Jesus who decided to give us the most precious gift of all - Himself! And yet, I got too caught up with these preparations that I forgot the reason why I even celebrate in the first place! Well, this year, once again, I’m determined to experience Christmas in its truest meaning. I know I still have many external obligations and commitment to keep, but I must set my priority straight and pray that God will give me the wisdom and the determination to fix my eyes and heart on Jesus. I want to make a spiritual journey with Mother Mary and St. Joseph to prepare for the celebration of our Savior’s Birth. This Christmas season, won’t you join me in doing the same?

Speaking of spiritual journey, did you know that this month marks the 15^th year anniversary of this magazine (Our Mother of Perpetual Help) in the U.S.? This monthly magazine was founded by the Vietnamese Redemptorists. The first issue of "Our Mother of Perpetual Help" Magazine was printed on July 1935, in Ha Noi (Northern part of Vietnam). For almost 40 years, Our Lady magazine had been a source of spiritual nourishment for many people in Vietnam. Like the fate of its founders, this magazine had journeyed many long and winding roads. When the Communist Party took over Vietnam on April 1975, publication was ended. By December 1985, the Vietnamese Redemptorists in America resumed publication, making it the first issue ever published in the U.S. The magazine had been going strong ever since and continues to flourish under the loving guidance of our Mother of Perpetual Help. Please keep this magazine, its staff and the Redemptorist Order in your prayer.

Have a warm and satisfying Christmas from within and may such happiness spreads out and infects all those you meet.

Peace and Love in Baby Jesus,

* Smile, He’s with us - Emmanuel!

I have come to bring you peace.
Not the peace of the season, for it is too fleeting,
Not the peace of the carol, for it is nostalgic,
Not the peace of the greeting card, for it is too slick,
Nor the peace of the crib, for it is too wishful.

Rather, I have come to bring you peace,
Peace of the ordinary, the daily, the homely,
Peace for the worker, the driver, the student,
Peace in the office, the kitchen, the farm.

I have come to bring you peace,
The peace of accepting yourself as I fashioned you,
The peace of knowing yourself as I know you,
The peace of loving yourself as I love you,
The peace of being yourself as I am who am.

I have come to bring you peace,

The peace that warms you at the completion of a task,
The peace that invades you at the close of the day,
The peace that sustains you at the beginning of the day,
The peace that reinforces you when you
reconcile with one another,
The peace that touches you when your family is in order.

Without peace, my coming is unfulfilled.
Without peace, my birth is forgettable.
Without peace, Christmas is a contradiction.
I have come to bring you peace.

Home | Nguyet San | Bao Moi | Bao Cu | Mua Bao
E-mail : ducme@cuuthe.com