G.K. Chesterton was a prolific Catholic author of the early 20th Century, known for his incisive wit and profound theological insights. He was also known as a curmudgeon, and the older he got the more absent-minded he became as well. One day he was out strolling in London when he became quite lost. He stopped at a nearby telegraph office and sent a telegram for urgent delivery to his wife. In it he wrote, "Dear, I find myself quite lost. Am at Harborough Square. Where should I be?" He waited for more than a few minutes while the telegram was delivered and he got a response. Finally the click of the telegraph key indicated his wife's reply. As only a wife could say, she responded, "You should be home." Chesterton sent another telegram and asked, "But how do I get there?" He waited at the telegraph office for the reply. It said, "Am sending a boy. Follow him home."

Is that not the truest meaning of Christmas: God's simple message, "Am sending a boy. Follow him home."

Merry Christmas.

December 24, 2013
Msgr. William J. King