June 2018 SPECIAL EDITION November 2015 Issue | Page 6

November 2015

Jesus is the Reason
In today’s world the Christmas season
starts on the day after Thanksgiving and ends on
December 25. For many of us this time is filled
with baking, sending cards, choosing gifts,
attending parties, and setting up a Christmas
tree and decorations. Add to this our daily work
schedules and the needs of our children and this
time of the year can be very stressful. The
Church puts a different emphasis on “Christmas
Season.”

suitable for families, small church groups,
or even for individuals. The original
custom was for the mother of the house to
pass a bowl around the family circle
containing rolled-up slips of paper with a
family member’s name on each one. Each
would take one slip and carefully look at
the name so no one else could see it. For
the rest of Advent the person named on
the paper became the Kristkindl of the
person who took the slip of paper, and he
or she would do at least one good deed a
day for them, but without them finding
out who did it! Even young children
could do this. It became a treasured way
of preparing hearts to serve Christ
through serving other people.

November 29th is the first weekend in
Advent, the season of expectation, with
scripture readings and prayers calling on us to
prepare in our hearts and lives for the Lord’s
coming on Christmas Day.
According to our heritage, we may
already have Advent customs such as the
lighting of candles on the Advent wreath, a
Jesse tree, setting up a manger scene ready for
the Christ child at Christmas, or special
devotions. An Advent tradition from Germany
called Kristkindl (meaning “Christ child”) is

Honor Jesus in the person of your
Kristkindl: pray for them, save money to
send to a good cause in their name,
donate gifts to a shelter, do extra chores
unasked, adopt a needy family.
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Visitation of Our Lady Church is Growing!
Construction has begun on our Choir Expansion! VOL Choirs will have a larger area to accommodate
more singers and musicians. Completion of the project is expected in mid November.

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