Reason for the Season
By Andrew Robison, President of Petrus Development
This time of year, it can be very easy to become anxious about traveling, cooking, shopping, cleaning, hosting, wrapping, family, decorating and much more. For those of us in the fundraising world, this is a busy time of year for donations, appeals, emails, thank yous, solicitations, campaigns, grants, gift processing and the like.
In the midst of all of the business (and craziness), don’t forget that the reason for Christmas truly is celebrating the birth of our Lord. As we continue the tradition of gift giving that began with the Magi, keep in mind the gifts that have been given to all. Those are the gifts of grace, forgiveness, love, compassion, eternity, truth, peace, joy, strength, salvation, and the greatest gift of all…Jesus Christ.
Luke 2: 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
From all of us at Petrus Development, have a Merry Christmas and a joy-filled New Year!
Did you know that the Catholic Church offers us a blessing over our Christmas trees and Christmas gifts?
Christmas Gifts:
Every generous act of giving
and every perfect gift are from above.
They come down from you, dear Father of Light.
You give birth to us by your Word,
so that we might be born of a new creation.
Bless now these presents that we give and receive in joy
at the birth of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Bless us and bless the whole world with thankfulness and peace,
for you are the giver of all good gifts.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Christmas Tree:
Lord our God,
we praise you for the light of creation:
the sun, the moon, and the stars of the night.
We praise you for the light of Israel:
the Law, the prophets, and the wisdom of the Scriptures.
We praise you for Jesus Christ, your Son:
he is Emmanuel, God-with-us, the Prince of Peace,
who fills us with the wonder of your love.
Lord God,
let your blessing come upon us
as we illumine this tree.
May the light and cheer it gives
be a sign of the joy that fills our hearts.
May all who delight in this tree
come to the knowledge and joy of salvation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The full blessing can be found at: http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/sacraments-and-sacramentals/sacramentals-blessings/objects/blessing-of-a-christmas-tree.cfm
Andrew N. Robison is President of Petrus Development. He has worked for over 13 years in development roles in Catholic campus ministry, higher education and academic medicine. Andrew works with organizations of all sizes to build sustainable development programs that allow them to better serve their constituencies.
READY TO BECOME A BETTER FUNDRAISER?
Sign up below toĀ receive tools, ideas, and inspiration to take your development efforts to the next level.
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.
