He's got me thinking again...

At the dedication of a new parish church in Rome today, the Pope remarked: "...to prepare for Christmas means to commit oneself to build 'God's dwelling with men', a task from which no one is excluded. Every one can and must contribute so that this house of communion is more spacious and beautiful."

No one is excluded. As sinners, we all either forget that sometimes or, if we work for the Church, assume our role in it is greater than it is. Yet our repentance is itself part of the work of building, and even the humblest members can contribute more greatly than the ones who devote their lives to it. Even babies, the mentally handicapped, the terminally ill, and the comatose, for example, can and do contribute if we let them. There are people who, apparently, can do little or nothing but receive; but how they receive enables us to see Christ in them if we show Christ to them. During this season, as we prepare to celebrate God's dwelling among us in the flesh, let us keep in mind that no stone need be left unused in the building.