We have become familiar with the Christmas story and the way it provides a focus for our lives. It is recognized in how we undertake journeys to be with those we love and how we sit down with them at the table. We are called to recognize each other's fundamental dignity and the need to be nourished: to be clothed and fed. Jesus is born in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes. In his vulnerability, he becomes an unspoken source of good news which seeks to disturb us.
In our modern world, we notice how this Good News can be disrupted by events beyond our control. Not only the difficulties associated with travel caused by the pandemic but the hidden disruption which causes people to be disturbed by the relentless barrage of information that seeks to take control of our lives. Evelyn Underhill, an English mystic compares these to the animals which are present in the nativity scene: the ox of passion and the ass of prejudice that seek to push out the person of Christ. Yet it is the person of Christ who we need to make room for and allow His light to shine within us.
This may be the challenge which is how we allow these days of Christmas to become a place where God makes an election for us so that we can fulfill our office in the world. To discover a rule of life that radiates out to others. To become people who act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with our God. Where our world view is not shaped by self-interest or divisions but a genuine desire to encounter God in our daily life.
May this Christmas season bring you joy and peace. Live what you believe that Christ seeks you to make room for him in your prayer, in your own environment, and in how you act.
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