“I knew a woman who had quit her job at a daycare, a job she loved very much. When I asked her why she had quite she told me a nightmarish story of parents bringing their children to the daycare in soiled diapers with horrible infections, unfed children, bottles delivered with babies with mold growing inside and ones that displayed all the physical and emotional signs of abuse. These same parents would also post multitudes of photos of their "perfect" children and families on Facebook, etc. When she went to her supervisor to tell her what she saw, the supervisor told her to be quiet because "it would damage the reputation" of the daycare. So she quit with great remorse for the children she couldn't help. She told me this kind of "parenting" was much more common than people imagine. A Godless world. These are the fruits. The rotten apples polished to perfection.”

https://open.substack.com/pub/scientificprogress/p/depopulation-or-extermination?r=tzxc5&utm_campaign=comment-list-share-cta&utm_medium=web&comments=true&commentId=45918922

That comment reminded of the Liturgy we've been reading:

Malachi 3:24

He will turn the heart of fathers to their sons,

and the heart of sons to their fathers,

Lest I come and strike

the land with utter destruction.

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/malachi/3?24

Note: some protestant versions include this in Malachi 4, because they don’t follow the Masoretic order

Luke 1:17

He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord.”

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1

What does this passage mean for Christmas?

That parents and siblings should love each other more, seeking what is good for each other, forgiving, cherising, celebrating the family in union.

Parents and children, have a duty towards each other, to seek the salvation the whole family, so that all the family gets back together in the Heaven feast, an eternal Christmas.

Also, through the 4th Commandment, we all have the duty to honor our father and mother.

Let's pray that we all have a joyful Christmas in peace and unity!

That contemplating the harmless unarmed God-baby, we ask Him for a meek and humble heart like His...

and that we all understand that there's no Christmas without Christ-Mass (that's the origin of the word!)

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PS

1. Remember that we need to go to 2 Masses of obligation: one for Sunday and one for Christmas (there's no double bonus going to one).

2. Remember that you may receive the extraordinary graces of the Pope's blessing for Christmas. It's a very special blessing from the Vicar of Christ: it only happens in Passover and Christmas at 12:00 noon Italian time (check on the navigator "time in Italy now" to set your alarm). If live/livestreamed, the Popes established that it's like being there physically and receiving the blessing from him right there.

3. Note: clearly, John the Baptist had the gifts and similar mission of Elijah, but was not Elijah, because he didn’t bring a 3.5 year drought and was not killed together with Moses. That will happen in the end times... hundreds of years away:

https://www.catholic365.com/article/30861/prophecy-2411-and-beyond.html