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December 11, 2018 | The Valley Catholic
COMMUNITY
Give the gift of hope this Christmas Season
with your support of
Catholic Charities programs
GET INVOLVED
The Season of Sharing program collects gifts for individuals
and families who will have little or nothing under the tree on
Christmas morning.
GIVE
Make your donation have an even greater impact this holiday
season with the Sobrato Family Foundation 2 to 1 Challenge
Match .
SHOP
Sign up for AmazonSmile and your holiday shopping benefits
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County.
For information, email [email protected]
or call (408) 325-5191.
CatholicCharitiesSCC.org/Christmas-giving
Proud to be the 2018 Silicon Valley Organization’s Nonprofit of the Year
2625 Zanker Road San Jose, CA 95134 • (408) 325-5125
Art work by CORAL after-school student Lien Hong Pham
CCSCC_Christmas2018_VC.indd 1
11/20/18 11:44 AM
Christmas Medicine
By Gregory Kepferle
CEO, Catholic Charities of
Santa Clara County and
President, Charities Housing
Development Corporation
I have to confess, this year I have had
a hard time getting into the Christmas
spirit. These days I have felt more like
Mr. Scrooge, more ready to say, “Bah
Humbug!” than “Merry Christmas!”
Maybe you know the feeling. You are
running around, feeling stretched,
fi ghting traffi c, trying as hard as you
can to get your challenging work done
while dealing with people fussing -- on
top of preparing for the holiday season.
Meanwhile the news proclaims con-
stant doom and gloom while marketers
pitch perky happy holiday themes. The
wicked prosper while ordinary people
suff er. It sometimes feels like we are
being infected by a social virus of short-
triggered sensitivity and grumpiness
while being expected to be in a holiday
mood. Bah Humbug!
However, I have found some anti-
dotes to the viruses of fear, anger, de-
spair, greed, and desire. The medicine
is a concoction of prayer, community,
and caring. I find that when I take
time to pray and meditate – to actually
breathe (as my wife reminds me), I can
let go of the external noise and focus
on the gentle presence of the Spirit. I
fi nd when I pay attention to family and
friends and colleagues, when I listen,
when I am truly present, then I don’t
focus on my ego but can receive the
joy of companionship and creativity.
And perhaps the best medicine of all
is when I can see the joy and hope in
someone else’s eyes as their lives are
transformed by a caring act.
My heart is lifted up and my burden
is lightened when I witness the dedica-
tion and compassion of neighborhood
moms who volunteer through Catholic
Charities to strengthen their families
and their neighborhood. I forget my
grumpiness when I watch young
scholars study diligently with the help
of their Catholic Charities after-school
teacher. I sigh with relief when I hear
of the safe arrival of a refugee orphan.
I release my anxiety when I hear the
story of two clients who found aff ord-
able housing with each other through
Catholic Charities House Sharing pro-
gram. And my heart sings with joy as
I watch seniors in our Adult Day Care
engage in art and music and play in
a safe healing place. This is truly the
antidote to the “humbug” feeling.
This Christmas, you can make a dif-
ference in the life of a child, a senior or
a family who needs your help. I invite
you to be generous this year and give
through Catholic Charities to truly
change lives for good. Every new and
increased gift to Catholic Charities of
Santa Clara County is being matched
2:1 by the Sobrato Family Foundation.
Take some Christmas medicine. It’s
good for the soul. And it’s a blessing
for those who need our help.
Merry Christmas!
For more information please visit,
www.CatholicCharitiesSCC.org.