December 2020
“Do not be afraid … the Holy One to be born will be called
the Son of God."
Luke 1.30,35 (NIV)
We know from Christian teaching that the Son of God was also designated as
the Word, and so at the start of the Gospel of John we hear (v 14) that ‘the
Word became esh and made his dwelling among us.’
At this point in the Christmas of today’s world we might pause to ask ourselves
the question, ‘What does the story of Jesus’ birth teach us about how God is
truly present in our lives today? ‘
We are welcoming the Christ that is forever being born in the human soul and
in human history, inexplicably born in our hearts moment by moment, breath
by breath.
The birth of Jesus the Son of God is also a continuous birthing, the birth of the
Word in the soul of humanity, and in us as individuals 2020 years after the
original event. This is the recognition of the everlasting nature and ow of
God’s presence, which we receive as a gift from his in nite generosity….
In order to discover this presence today in reality, we must leave behind all fear,
and nd our way through all the dark spaces presented to us, to the stable. We
must also leave behind the clamour and busy-ness of the trappings of Christmas,
and nd our way through them to the stable. Through our contemplative
practice we have the opportunity to enter into the humility, simplicity, and
delicate nature of what is there as gift to us, ready to unfold within us. For those
growing up in a secular world it is far more challenging. We are asked to bring
this delicate receptivity and simplicity humbly out into the world, through our
lives and through our intercession for others. Emmanuel….God with us in
in nite love.
“The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you.”
This is included as a Dominical Saying because it the word of God spoken through
the Archangel Gabriel - one of the messengers of God - to Mary, who was to
become the mother of God. Recorded in Luke’s Gospel, it is a key saying in the
Christian teaching.