Christmas Eve: A Blessing for the Night
“Be still and keep watch...”
Holy Night 2020, MN, USA
Friends and Fellow Travelers,
Exhausted but alive we arrive at this Holy Night 2020, in the year of the pandemic. It might be the darkest and quietest night for many, one not seen in a life time. It might well be the night which brings us closest to the original Christmas.
No busy church services calling for attention. No big family meals to prepare or plan. No last minute shopping in overflowing malls. Thrown back onto ourselves we walk into this night wondering, quietly, pregnant with the unknown …
There were no Halleluja choruses when Mary pushed the baby into the hay. Only the helping but inexperienced hands of her beloved drying off the child. And then a sigh of relief when the newborn took his first breath and sent a tender cry into the night, echoing in the empty and unlit streets of little Bethlehem.
Mary fell exhausted into the straw they shared with the animals – A last minute cobbled-up shelter after a strenuous journey on the back of a donkey. At least the animals shared the warm smell of their body heat to warm up a star-lit desert night. She cradled the naked boy she just delivered in her shaking arms as her milk started flowing. He found his way to her bosom completing the miracle of Divine birth.
Mary and Child. Clay. By Christel Koch, Germany, (photo: Ch. Koch 2020)
O wondrous night. When a new life is born. Divine wonder coming from a women’s womb. Oh wondrous joy washed in the pangs of birth, unknown to men. Oh wondrous night, when time stands still, suspended between life and death, birthing new hope.
O wondrous night, when transcendence breaks in and the Divine enters our longing world.
Here is a blessing for you, fellow traveler, as you enter this holy night:
May Christmas find you where you are
Do not be afraid of the night
for night is when the light shines brightly
do not be afraid of the silence
for it is the silence in which God speaks
do not be afraid of the solitude
for it is the open space where Divine grace enters
do not be afraid of the journey
for it is the journey that draws us home
You are not seeking Christmas, Christmas is seeking you.
May Christmas find you where you are.
AF
This post is part of our 12 Days of Christmas Series 2020/21: Cradling Hope, a Contemplative Journey towards the heart of Christmas. You can still enroll and follow along. To enter our virtual gathering space click here. To share your thoughts with us, write us here. To offer your gift, click here. If you are looking for personal consultation, visit our PathFinder.
Peace and Blessings, Almut & Chuck
