Christmas is upon us once again. We have listened to endless Christmas music. We’ve been subjected to endless commercials instructing us what to buy and where to buy it. We are told what to eat, where to go, and what to drink to help us celebrate Christmas. Not one of these has said anything about the reason we have Christmas in the first place.

Christmas isn’t about material things. It isn’t about overeating. It isn’t about “celebrating” by getting drunk at the company Christmas party. It isn’t about hoping your spouse will buy you the new car you want.

We are told not to say Merry Christmas to each other because we might offend someone. We are told we shouldn’t place a manger scene where the public will see it. We have fallen into the hands of the devil by allowing him to remove Christmas from the public square. Christmas = Christ therefore it must be bad. We certainly can’t talk about Christ.

This is just another example of why I believe we are in the end times. This is why we need to prepare ourselves now more than ever. We need to live with the end in mind because we do not know the day or the hour, but it could be at any time. We must prepare for the arrival of the bridegroom.

When is the last time you made a good confession, one where you really examined your conscience and came clean? For me it was yesterday. I spent time writing down my sins so I wouldn’t forget anything and confessed things I never confessed before, and I felt great when I was done.

How often should we go to confession? That’s a hard question to answer. Some would say every day, some once a week, and some once a month. I don’t think the Catholic Church has a “rule.” I know for me it needs to be more often than I go. This was the first time for me in at least two years. That is too long. One reason is when you don’t go, you really aren’t supposed to take part in the Eucharist. It’s a mortal sin if you receive Communion without going to confession. Contrary to what many of us believe, yes I was one, just looking up at the sky and saying you are sorry to God doesn’t count. You need to receive absolution from a priest to receive the Body of Christ.

I went Saturday and Sunday I was able to receive Holy Communion. Even better I will now be able to receive it for Christmas. I am going to try to make midnight mass although it might have to wait until Wednesday morning.

I’ll let you know and Merry Christmas.

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased.”

The Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006), Lk 2:8–14.