National Catholic Forester

Winter 2017 — www.ncsf.com 27 FATHER CURT'S REFLECTION After the holidays it's almost a necessity to slow up and take a breath. The demanding and hectic days of the holiday season are truly a delight as well as exhausting. In the early part of January we clean up the house and store away the decorations till next year. We need to return once again to our routine and the normal business of our lives. As we take that moment to pause before continuing our normal pace, let's examine for a moment what Advent-Christmas have proclaimed to us. God has come to gather us up in the experience of God's eternal love. The Gospel of John, which is proclaimed on Christmas Day, declares: "he gave the power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man's decision but of God." God took on human form as the means of uniting us with God in one awesome act of unitive love. We call this moment "incarnation." Incarnation began with Jesus and led to his resurrection. Not only did Jesus reveal God as love, but he joins us with himself in manifesting that love in our world today. As we put our faith in Christ, incarnation deepens within us. God is one with us and we are one with God. The God loves in us and through us. How tremendous! As Church we return to Ordinary Time, but we do so with extraordinary empowerment. As Christ in the world we have a "light" to share, an awareness of being in love with love itself. By God's grace we can recognize the love of God present in all of creation and work for the unity of all. FATHER CURT SPIRITUAL ADVISOR January 15 July 16 February 19 August 20 March 19 September 17 April 16 October 15 May 21 November 19 June 18 December 17 0$666&+('8/( ơ Mass in memory of living and deceased members of the National Catholic Society of Foresters. Masses have been designated at 9:45 a.m. on these Sundays: WE'VE BEEN GIFTED

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