2u.ie – making your day extra special
I took this photo at Curabinny Woods, near Carrigaline, Co.Cork
Today (Dec 21st) is the winter solstice. Those lucky enough to get inside Newgrange, Co. Meath this morning will see an incredible sight but only if the sun shines at sunrise. It is a world historic site and the passage grave was constructed five thousand years ago. Above the entrance to the passage there is a small opening through which the sun shines at 8.54a.m on Dec 21st. Its rays penetrate some 50 feet into the inner chamber where the ashes of the dead were kept. It is an extraordinary construction that required painstaking and precise work. The people feared the darkest of days and thought the world was going to end. Building Newgrange instilled in them a great sense of hope and a reminder that in the darkest of corners light will always shine.
The same is so true of Christmas. Jesus is born into our world as a wonderful and inspiring light. The invitation is to allow Jesus to be born into those parts of our lives that need him the most. We all have dark corners in our lives. On our own the darkness could overwhelm us. Christmas is a reminder that we can’t journey through life on our own. We need support, love, companionship, friendship, light, hope and so much more. That’s why we make a special effort to reach out and include everyone at Christmas. The spirit of Christmas is meant to be alive every day of the year, not just on Christmas Day. Newgrange is an awesome spectacle. Christmas is equally an awesome event. We thank God for coming into our world to shatter all forms of darkness. We invite God’s light to touch every aspect of our lives this Christmas.
Video for the week🎥
This is my latest video and it is called ‘Why Every Christmas Crib Is Different’ and it also contains my Christmas message too💕🙏
Santa makes many headlines coming up to Christmas. But who is the real Santa?
The video below is a recent video and it is called ‘One Snow Story’. An unexpected snowfall made sure I got out and about, to create the story with a few reflective thoughts. If you would like to see a selection of my other videos on Youtube you can click this link here. https://www.youtube.com/@JamesMcSweeneyFr/videos
Spiritual Thought For The Week
‘If Christmas isn’t found in your heart you won’t find it under the Christmas tree.’ ~Charlotte Carpenter
Christmas is getting so much closer now. At the weekend we light the 3rd candle on the Advent wreath. The third candle is pink and it is meant to stand out. The third Sunday of Advent is called ‘Joyful Sunday’. In many churches the emphasis today will be putting an emphasis on good news. It is a day to celebrate good news stories in our community and in our lives.
Today no apologies are made for highlighting our good news stories. It is crucial and important that we do. We have a natural tendency to lean towards negative and sad stories. Bad news somehow seems to have quicker legs than good news.Bad news always dominates the headlines.
We all need to hear good news, we need to nurture good news and importantly we need to celebrate good news. We need to bring the balance back in. That is why ‘Joyful Sunday’ is one of those days to at least try and put the spotlight on some good news. These good news stories are plentiful but they often get squashed and pushed to one side. These good news stories do not have to make the headlines. It is often the small and insignificant good news stories that really are the best of all.
Christmas can be many different things to people but it’s the spiritual significance that touches our hearts. Christmas can be rightly called a ‘Celebration of Good News’ but especially of your good news. The message of ‘Joyful Sunday’ is that you are special and always worth celebrating. If we can’t do that, then there is no point having Christmas. Christmas celebrates you. You are special and always will be.
