One of my favourite Christmas movies is the 2002 blockbuster The Family Man starring Nicholas Cage. It’s a story of a very successful businessman who is given
a chance to see how his life would have turned out if he married his high school sweetheart. When he wakes up he finds himself married, with 2 children, running a small car tire shop. He is given an experience of being a family man during the season of Christmas. At first he is frustrated by the absence of his wealth and freedom, but by the time he must return to his self-centred reality he discovers that true joy is not in things but in relationships. Christmas is a perfect time for us to rediscover our real treasures in the relationships we have with family and friends. The season of Advent prepares us for proper joy of relationships with one another by reconnecting with God in a new way: through prayer, repentance, and through rediscovering our community of faith. We are not alone, we are many, we are a parish church. Let’s reconnect with what matters!