(LifeSiteNews) — Over the weekend I had the privilege to participate in a Christmas reflection as part of LifeSite’s ongoing Gift of Gratitude series.

I sat down with our very own donor relations and database assistant Timothy O’Brien to read and reflect on two Gospel passages recounting the birth of our Lord Jesus: one from Matthew, the other from Luke.

In the story of Christ’s birth we see elements of both joy and suffering. And I think that’s something all of us can relate to.

In our own family lives, yes, we have periods of joy. But there’s also a lot of suffering. This is true for the Holy Family as well.

They left their home, all of their stuff. They go to this foreign town and can’t even find a place to stay. I think a lot of us have been in that situation, where we can’t find something we need or are basically turned away several times before someone reaches out and offers us help.

But as we see, the presence of the Lord is of great consolation to the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, and even the lowly shepherds, the poorest of the poor. Although there’s more suffering to come, at that moment they were able to rejoice over the presence of God in the manger.

Stay tuned for more reflections from our marvelous team here at LifeSite as we continue to count down the days until Christmas.

Now it’s your turn to share your own Gift of Gratitude to LifeSiteNews, participating even more fully in our 25 Day Countdown to Christmas: give.lifesitenews.com.