Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/1530281
DENVER CATHOLIC | DECEMBER 2024-JANUARY 2025 37 BE QUIETLY BOLD. Fully embrace your faith during this Christmas season. Carve out time to attend Daily Mass, go to the chapel and pray. Prioritize Confession before Christmas Eve. Don't announce that you're going to do these things, but if people ask where you're going or where you're coming from, casually tell them. Depending on the openness of certain family members, invite them to join. A simple "Wanna go with?" goes a long way. If they refuse, don't take it personally. "No? Cool! Maybe tomorrow!" Sometimes, we want to evangelize our family just so we can be proven right, not because we actually want them to taste the abundance of life that Jesus offers. Show your family that you desire that abundance. Every day. Even if you're silent about it, they'll wonder why you live differently. BE JOYFUL . The most wonderful time of the year is often anything but wonderful. So be joyful! Be what this season — and our faith in general — claims to promise. Pope Francis once famously said, "The identification card of a Christian is joy." During this time of the year, a truly joyful presence will be the greatest gift you can give your family. There's no beating around the bush: your family has seen you at your worst. They know all your faults inside and out. It can be tempting to slide into old patterns of behavior when you're around them. Make a concerted effort to show them that Christ has genuinely transfor- med you. Let them see that it's possible for a heart to be revived and to change. Give them hope that healing is possible. Be an example that our faith is real and that Jesus isn't just another Santa Claus. Be joyful. On a final note, my wife's younger sister became Cath- olic just a few months after "Crystalgate." She ended up removing any crystals, New Age books, etc., from her life. The point is this: Even when you feel like you royally botched it with evangelizing your family, the Lord can still work, so be free. Merry Christmas, y'all. Be an example that our faith is real and that Jesus isn't just another Santa Claus. Be joyful."