One of my favorite Christmas carols is not the most popular or the best known. My favorite is “In the Bleak Midwinter”. This carol is based on a poem by the English poet Christina Rossetti written before 1872. The poem became a Christmas carol and appeared in The English Hymal in 1906 with a musical setting by the famous composer Gustav Holst. In 2008 it was named the best Christmas carol in a poll of some of the world’s leading choirmasters and choral experts. Our morning choir at Queen of Angels will sing this carol on Christmas Eve at our two Christmas Eve Masses at 4:00pm and at 6:00pm, and I am sure it will be sung again during the Christmas Season. It is the last verse that touches me the most. “What can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb; if I were a Wise Man I would do my part; yet what I can give Him: give my heart.” And of course, that is the best gift we can ever give to God or to anyone else for that matter. Good readers, we have a week left before Christmas Day. If there is a present we yet have to get for a difficult-to-shop for person, perhaps the heart might be the best gift. Now that difficult-to-shop-for person might be difficult not only because he/she has everything, but perhaps he/she may just be plain difficult to get along with. Perhaps we may not even be speaking to that person at the moment, so hurtful is the situation right now. For this person, the gift of our heart is the only present worth giving. And the gift of the heart might be only a prayer of mercy upon him/her, even without his/her knowing we are doing the prayer. When one is able to do that, the anger begins to melt away ever so slowly, and peace begins to take anger’s place. And when there is peace in the heart, forgiveness comes more easily and charity begins to blossom forth. And where there is charity blooming, God makes His dwelling right there, and the miracle of Christmas some 2015 years ago happens again in 2015, not in Bethlehem, but this time in the heart – my heart and your heart that was given in prayer for someone. Merry Christmas and God bless you and your families. Please pray for those who will be experiencing their first Christmas without a loved one. The first one without Momma was for me pretty sad, so I know they will appreciate your prayers. Again, Merry Christmas! .