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DECEMBER 24TH
Christmas Eve
Page 1

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The next morning, I awoke to a feeling of indescribable happiness.  It swept my whole being.  All those threats that weighed upon my shoulders no longer existed.  All sadness disappeared and my whole world became a place of joy.  I glowed!

Everything was transformed into a thing of beauty.  And a deep, deep peace settled upon me.  Nothing had changed.  Nothing except me.  Gratefulness to God welled up in this new world of mine where God seemed to speak to me through everything.  And his message was, “I love you!”

Although I couldn’t understand what happened.  This I knew…I was a new person! How little all my worries really mattered. 

Mary and Joseph must have reached an equally despairing point.  About to deliver, this young woman and her husband could not find a place to stay....and it was pretty evident she was about to give birth.  Can't you imagine the trauma of the situation?  No mother, no experienced midwife to help poor Mary, a young 15 year old most think, just Joseph.  But finally, in that cave surrounded by animals if you can imagine, this beautiful child, Jesus, was born.  I doubt anything else mattered to the couple.  A beautiful healthy boy!  A joyous birth!

It makes me wonder sometimes....

Click on:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHnIJWUGQ-4
 
John of the Cross describes Christmas, his rebirth, as a wedding:

When the time had come
For Him to be born
He went forth like the bridegroom
From his bridal chamber,

Embracing His bride,
Holding her in His arms,
Whom the gracious Mother
Laid in a manger.

Now that blissful state eventually dissolved, but never did my desire to continually grow from that experience.  Some people believe, I learned, that this type spiritual occurrence is the end of their religious objective.  Too many brag about “being born again”, considering it the culmination of a spiritual life.  I didn’t feel that way; I thought it to be the beginning.

Shouldn't we be teaching that every day should become a Christmas.  Every day, we are called to be born again….to wake up.....to be in that place where all we want to say is thank you.  Christmas to me is the time to recall that powerful awakening, to realize that just as Christ was born and grew in wisdom, so are we born again in those mystical moments in our lives; so are we called to grow in our continuing journey to God. 

I read somewhere and tucked it into my heart:  To be a Christian should not be limited to saying prayers, but to make one’s life a prayer.  To be a Christian requires one to do what Christ taught.....and as we know, it isn't always easy.

At first I was hesitant to tell my story, but learned it is not uncommon.  Many came to me with a grateful heart...."I have never told anyone about my experience.  I thought I would be ridiculed.  It is so good to be able to talk with someone." 

Think about it!

A religious tradition-with its images, symbols, and sacred writings-is a way of speaking.  It speaks about the experience that comes out of silence. Through tradition there is continuity; each generation inherits the language of the past.  There is also change; language interacts with time and cultural context, and it is brought up to date by human revelation.  –Susan Walker