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PRAYER FOR THE WEEK
Jesus, help me go through what I have and give away what I can, especially as Christmas gets closer! Amen.

John the Baptist was teaching people that Jesus was coming soon, and they were excited. "What can we do to get ready?" they asked. John told them: "Whoever has two coats, give one to the person who has none. If you have food, give away the extra. Don't take more money than you need, and be happy with what you have."

There probably isn't a kid in America who would say, "I have everything I need; don't give me anything for Christmas." You may already own plenty of toys, clothes and other gadgets, but it's hard to imagine refusing to accept anything more that might appear under the Christmas tree.

Don't worry; Jesus didn't ask you not to make a Christmas list! He had other ideas, as this week's Gospel (Luke 3:10-18) shows.

Jesus knew that most people do own more than they need. And, since Christmas is a celebration of God the Father sharing His Son, Jesus, with the world, the least we can do at this special time of year is share with each other!

To get ready for Christmas, take Jesus' idea: Whatever you can spare, share it. If you have an extra coat, make sure it goes to someone who needs one. If your church or school is having a food drive, bring whatever you can. If you have enough to wear and eat and you have money saved, give some away.

As you look forward to seeing new things under the tree on Christmas morning, take some of the old ones and pass them on. No one in our world should be cold, hungry or penniless -- especially at Christmas![[In-content Ad]]

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