A couple of days before Christmas I went to my favorite breakfast spot, Cal’s.  It’s one of those great local restaurants where everybody knows your name.  The owners, Rich and Gina, are a wonderful married couple who always greet you with a smile and a joyful “good morning.”

I sat down at the breakfast bar and Doreen, the friendly waitress, took my order: two pumpkin pancakes, one egg over easy…and coffee of course.  Gina approached and began to tell me about a touching encounter that she’d just had with an elderly man.  As she spoke, she welled up with tears.  She recounted how the man had approached her at a store and asked if she had any children.  She said no, but stated that she had a young niece.  The man then gave her an envelope.  Inside was a two dollar bill and a message about the importance of keeping Christmas alive in your heart.

During this Christmas season we celebrate the coming of Christ into the world.  But Christ’s coming into the world was not just an historical event that is frozen in time.  Jesus still comes to us today–every day.  For Catholics, we encounter Christ in a very special way in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist.  But there are other everyday moments when Jesus comes to us: in the kind gesture of another; in the soft smile of a stranger; in the giggle of a baby; in the gently falling snow; in the glowing sunset; in the spectacular nightsky.

What’s important is that we have a life of prayer so that we can develop the spiritual awareness to see Him in everyday situations. Once we have the spiritual awareness to see Him in our daily life, then we are able to welcome Him more deeply into our hearts.  And as we welcome Him throughout the day, our gratitude increases because we see how much He loves us and constantly reaches out to us.

I was touched by Gina’s story.  God spoke to her through that man.  The Lord made His love present to her through that man’s small, but kind, gesture.  How many ways does God show up during the day but we are too busy to see?  How many times does the Lord try to reach out to us, to show us His love, but we are too immersed in ourselves to be aware?

This Christmas season, let’s try to be more aware that the Lord comes to us in the seemingly insignificant moments of the day, even in a two dollar bill.
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How has the Lord reached out to you during this Christmas season?  How has he revealed His love to you through others?

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