It's Christmas Eve, let's break some opłatek!

[PolishTrad]

As you may or may not know, there's a Polish tradition of breaking Christmas wafers and giving wishes to one another. I will start.
This is our opłatek.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas focused on Christ, enough strength for daily struggles, deepening of your faith, health, happiness, and a happy New Year. :)
*breaks off a piece*
Now the opłatek looks like this:

Your turn :grin:.

[Sirach2]

We dip ours in honey as we pass it to the others at table.  It is a beautiful tradition that we've kept for years and years.
Do you make the sauerkraut soup?  Yummy, even though it doesn't sound very appetizing.

May the Christ Child, Jesus, bestow His most abundant blessings upon all of you and your families.

[PolishTrad]

Do you make the sauerkraut soup?

Nope, we make barszcz. Can't wait for it. :'((

[JacafamalaRedux]

I wish you health, wealth and happiness, and after death a crown in heaven.

[Tim]

I wish you happiness and contentment, and to see you all at the feast in heaven.

tim

[Clare Brigid]

I wish you peace, the fulfillment of your personal vocation, a quick and merciful purgatory, and that you find all of your loved ones in heaven.

[Roger Buck]

And I wish that each of you find that the light of Christ and His Angels, pierces through the darkened veils of the trials, confusion and pain of modern life, bringing inspiration, creativity and fortitude for the year ahead.

I also wish you all the fullest sacramental participation possible for you at this incredible time ...

For it is an _incredible time_ - for prayer and silence especially I find ... Year after year I find that with confession and the daily Mass, I am enabled to find solutions, illumination and consolation that really helps me - BIG TIME.

If you are suffering at this time  ... like I am suffering ... I would particularly encourage this deepened participation in the sacramental life of the Church, even if it means suffering the Novus Ordo for those of you without a daily TLM like me.

Forgive me, but I want to give a link again about frequent communion and what Tolkien said of Mass on successive days.

http://corjesusacratissimum.org/2012/09/...communion/

As Tolkien says of the Mass "Frequency is of the highest effect. Seven times a week is more nourishing than seven times at intervals."

And it seems to me that what he writes is even more powerful over these 12 days, capable of yielding many answers to life's woes. At least, such is my own experience for many years now.

Finally, because of this, I shall probably post little or nothing at FE over the 12 days. I will pull the plug on the computer as much as possible and try to become as still and contemplative as I can ...

God bless you all. It has been a very rich, heartwarming and insightful experience indeed for me in the last weeks to stop lurking so much and more actively engage with you.

I shall be back after the 12 days.

[OldMan]

Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia!

[Gidge]

Ah, I miss the Polish Church we used to attend.

The Polish people are so kind and devout -- and their traditions are as rich as they are beautiful.

I'll always consider myself an honorary Pole (No Polish blood) after being a member of that wonderful Polish parish.

[churchesoffortwayne]

I wish you all know true understaning of God to the fullest degree granted, and time with you family this is my christmas wish, afterall material things wont bring you happiness only short pleasure.

I am an italian though, well italian american is my upbringing.