This evening I had great fun going to dinner with some friends. As always, there was a lot of talking and laughter. On my drive home, I thanked God for these friends and the ability to see them on a regular basis. When I got home, I listened to a new podcast based on the song, “O come O come Emmanuel”. Lauren Daigle sang the hymn with her hauntingly beautiful voice. I closed my eyes, breathed and listened to the words. The line that stood out for me was, “Fill the whole world with Heaven’s peace.” That would be amazing. I thought about Mary and Joseph and wondered what their expectations were, if any. They knew God’s Son was about to come into the world. Were they hoping that He would bring peace to the whole world?

I Found God today in a beautiful hymn.

This photo is one of the side altars in the Basilica of St. Francis Xavier. The description from the website is as follows:

Here is the 1897 Altar of St. Joseph, and the Holy Family. This is 36 feet high and 15 feet wide. In the central niche is a 1900 Bavarian wood carving of the Holy Family with an angel presenting a small church to the Infant Jesus. Surrounding this niche are four oil paintings. The top two (left to right) are the Betrothal of Mary and Joseph, and the Flight into Egypt. The bottom two (left to right) are the Holy Family at Work, and the Death of St. Joseph.