Christmas is the celebration of Jesus, God’s greatest gift to us, coming into our lives. At this time, Jesus—the Word of God—tells us again that he is the God we are in search of and that he has come into our midst.

Christmas is also a season of gift giving, a tradition that originally centered on the Feast of the Epiphany, commemorating the visit of the Magi and the revelation of the Lord to the whole world.

See Liturgical Calendar–Seasons–Christmas for additional background information and prayer.


"Giving to Others" Prayer Celebration Notes

Focus		Giving to others with all our hearts
Materials		Prayer table with Bible and candle, music
Reading		Luke 6:30–31, 35, 38
Music		"I Am the Bread of Life," Blest Are We Music CD 5; "Lift Up Your Hearts," Roc O'Connor, SJ (OCP Publications); "Go Tell It on the Mountain," Spiritual
Preparation		Print out and photocopy the liturgy, "Giving to Others." Select a leader and a Scripture reader for the prayer celebration.
Adaptation		Encourage children to think of one way to help someone in their community. As a sign of commitment, have them write their intent on a slip of paper and turn it in during the prayer celebration.
Additional Materials		"I Am the Bread of Life" Blest Are We Music CD 5 Call RCL Benziger at 1-877-ASK-4-RCL (1-877-275-4725). ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36656-5 Blest Are We Song Book Words and melody for children; contains music for levels 1-8 ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36617-4 Blest Are We Accompaniment Book Contains accompaniment music for levels 1-8 ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36618-2