That God so loved creation to become incarnated, embedded in the flesh of one of us and in all created things, is too joyously wonderful to comprehend. This significant decision of the Creator to enter into this earth by plunging into all that it means to be fully human has profound implications.
Typically, religion is an escape from the world. The moment you enter a stained-glass Gothic cathedral you profoundly experience having escaped from the nitty-gritty and grime of this world into another heavenly world. The majestic organ music and ageless rituals of worship reinforce the serene heaven-come-down-to-earth architecture. The marvel of Christmas is that God preferred to become flesh not in a sanitized, beautiful artificially divine world or temple, but in the grime and crime of our grubby world. True Christmas should not comfort us but challenge us to find God in the roar of whirling gears and rumbling engines of work, as well as in the organ music of cathedrals. All lighted Christmas trees should illuminate every tree and bush as being aflame with the Divine Mystery.
The core of Christmas is too naughty
to go to church, too daily to be divine.
Peek behind Christmas’ religious veil
and be awed by its raw earthy reality.
From A Book of Wonders by Ed Hays
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prayer action suggestion:
Touch the earthy reality of Christmas this year. Volunteer at a homeless shelter, serve at a soup kitchen, attend to the needs of those who are elderly, lonely, broken. Be Christ for them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SIGN UP NOW to receive an e-email alert each week directing you to Fr. Hays' prayer reflections.
Want to know more about Fr. Ed Hays?
--Read a profile on Fr. Hays
Visit Ave Maria Press for a full selection of books by Fr. Hays.
