Five Wishes

Here are my five wishes for Christmas as I huddle bundled in a pink blanket in the electronic armchair in my room. They probably are different from the ones that I wrote yesterday morning after prayer, but I am relying on the Holy Spirit for help. First, I should explain why I am posting five wishes for Christmas. On Dec. 22nd, one of my sisters came gowned and gloved into my isolation to tell me that the director of Oakwood (our elder care home) wanted my five wishes and this was urgent. I thought, "how nice, she wants my five wishes for Christmas!" Having just returned from the hospital with fever Sunday night, I had not been thinking about wishes for Christmas. If this was urgent, I was willing. However it seems the Five Wishes was the many paged document that all RSCJs filled out as living wills so we spent the time on questions of life support, cremation or burial,etc. And not on five wishes for Christmas! When I went to bed that night, I finally had time to ask Jesus about what I thought He might like these wishes to be. After all, it is His birthday and so I am going to try to summarize a really inspiring dialogue we had into five short statements of wishes that are huge and cannot be prioritized as each is immensely important to Jesus as well as to me. I risk sharing these today in case they help you decide on what to give the Infant Jesus this Christmas.

1 To live United to the Heart of Jesus so that I descend into the depths of His Heart to love, console and give joy by always choosing what is pleasing to Him.

2. To have peace in all the world. I keep praying for this but believe I further peace in many ways: in my own heart, with those around me,  with those who come for spiritual guidance, etc.

3. To be a joy-bearer and foster joy and gratitude

4. To reveal God's love to all

5. To further the reign of God in all that I do