Kaukauna Catholic Parishes

We have journeyed together to Bethlehem and have come to experience anew the Nativity of Our Lord. It is in the experience of the Birth of Christ that life changes for us. The Christ Child calls us to know and experience the life that God wants for us -- the life we are meant to have. To take the Christmas journey is to enter as fully as possible into the mystery of the Wonder and Awe of God’s great love that broke into our human history to set us free from the darkness that imprisoned us. This wonder and awe continues to grow and amaze as we walk further and further into the mystery of what it means for us that a Savior has been born.

At this time of the year, many children and many adults that I know take the time to put together their Christmas Wish List, a list of gifts that they desire. Some of the things on their list are possible, while others might be just a dream. At the top of my list appears the great wish that I believe, as people of faith, all of us hope for, the ultimate gift “that all people in our world come to experience the birth of Jesus Christ and come to know what this experience means for them and then living that experience to the best of their ability.”

My Christmas list for our parishes this year is simple. That we who have experienced the birth of a Savior, and continue to experience that birth in new and glorious ways every day, be willing to step forward and witness the reality of this experience for each other. In other words, my wish is that we continue to grow and develop as Intentional Disciples. Being intentional is about answering the call and being bearers of Christ to one another and our world.

As intentional disciples, we make a choice to be Jesus’ disciples. This Christmas, I am asking the people of Holy Cross and St. Katharine Drexel to be more intentional about their discipleship. God asks each of us to prayerfully discern how we might be called to step forward and serve one another through a ministry at Holy Cross or St. Katharine Drexel and thereby help others experience the birth of Jesus in very powerful and meaningful ways. Please do not underestimate your ability to make a difference and bring Jesus to others by your willingness to step forward and use the gifts God has blessed you with. Let each of us seek to intentionally share with one another, our faith communities and our world the Wonder and Awe of Christmas.

May your Christmas and Christmas Season be filled with the Joy and Wonder of the Birth of the Christ Child. Peace and Joy,

Fr. Don Everts
December 23, 2018