Catherine of Genoa
At some point during my Christmas shopping frenzy, while I was standing at a register, I was reminded of St. Catherine of Genoa–particularly, her ability to be so focused on God that she could tune out the entire world until she needed to respond to someone.
I’m not always sure how I feel about that–is tuning out the world really a good thing?–but in times like this week, I sure do envy her the ability. The noise of the world is so great, especially given the season is supposed to be a time of preparation for the arrival of Jesus into the world. The true meaning of the holy-day makes the hustle and bustle even more offensive to the soul. It is as though we are supposed to focus on anything other than the arrival of Jesus.
Sigh.
How wonderful it would be to be able to participate in the Christmas season (even though the Christmas season technically does not start until Christmas Day) and still to focus so fully on God as to be unaffected by the distractions, the misdirections of the world. How wonderful to be able to remember our true purpose for purchasing gifts and so truly to honor the Savior with our Christmas spirit.
How wonderful to be immune to the seductions and idolatries of the world as it tries to subvert the holy-day.
How can we redeem the holiday? How can we demonstrate a better way to participate in the season? How can we embody the true meaning of the season–both before and after Christmas Day?
