Christmas Peace
Rest a few moments with this poem for our time, “Amazing Peace” by Maya Angelou. It is a message of hope and courage and intention, “…to come away from rancor, come the way of friendship.” The peace we seek is already safe in our soul. Refresh your soul right here. Be at peace.
The Inspiration of the 2020 Star
Think of it. As the Year 2020 comes to a close, with all its turmoil, did you ever imagine it would finish with an astronomical light-show of such majesty that it has captivated so much attention? The bright alignment of two stars overlapping their orbits to create the appearance of a single Christmas star on one night hasn’t been observed for 800 years. But wait! Scientific research has presented evidence that three stars aligned 2,000 years ago to create the Star of Bethlehem. The ancient scientists of the stars (the Magi) had calculated and expected its appearance too. That’s not all: The Magi were also religious scholars, so from ancient texts they anticipated great meaning to come from this conspicuous alignment.
Consider for a moment what might be the inspiration to be gained from our Christmas Star? Some have suggested “renewal” since its appearance is on December 21, the winter solstice. (If there was ever a year requiring renewal it would be 2020!)
Here’s another meaning to consider: From the 20th of November to January 24th, there are at least 14 different religious holidays – Christmas being just one of them. Statistically-speaking then (or scientifically!), there is likely a majority of humanity celebrating a faith and traditions in conjunction with each other. Humanity is aligning, not blending, *so close* that all of us appear united in a bright light of devotion to a grander power not our own.
Our 2020 Star as a symbol of unity…what a promise that is. And what a bright light to guide our way into 2021.
as children hoping for gifts from Santa, I feel that I need to be nice and good to get what I hope for Christmas. My hope? To spend more time with my children and grandchildren. But this is a very ego-centered view of Christmas— what I want.
Instead, maybe I should look forward to Christmas as Mary, the mother of Jesus, did. She must have been in quiet contemplation to be able to hear the message of the angel Gabriel. This message, that she was favored by God and would give birth to the Son of God who would become the eternal king of Israel, would have been overwhelming and hard to believe, especially since she was a virgin. But she did accept it. Her response was, “I am the servant of God, let it be with me as you have said.” Wow, could I respond with such trusting willingness?
Here’s a hint on how to get to that spiritual consciousness from Richard Rohr’s Meditation today (12/16/20):
“The great task of religion is to keep us fully awake, alert, and conscious. Staying awake comes not from willpower but from a wholehearted surrender to the moment—as it is. If we can truly be present, we will experience what most of us mean by God (and we do not even need to call it God). It’s largely a matter of letting go of resistance to what the moment offers or of clinging to a past moment. It is an acceptance of the full reality of what is right here and now.
To be truly conscious, we must step back from our compulsive identification with our isolated selves. This may be the most difficult “letting go” of all, for the idea of our individual “selves” is the primary illusion of our lives. But pure consciousness is never just “me,” trapped inside myself.”
Joy again, this letting go of myself and my hopes in order to be open to feel and trust the presence and action of God, of Truth, of Love, this is the dawning of the awareness of Christ in my life. It is what Mary did, and the lonely shepherds did, and the wise men from the east did. They didn’t stop and consider how they felt about the news. They didn’t judge or have an opinion about it. They just accepted it joyfully. The Christ, my God blessed connection with God, is becoming real and I look forward to becoming more and more aware of it