By Colleen O’Sullivan
The Lord bless
you and keep you!
The Lord let his
face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The Lord look
upon you kindly and give you peace! (Numbers
6:24-26)
The shepherds
went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in
the manger. When they saw this, they
made known the message that had been told them about this child. All who heard it were amazed by what had been
told them by the shepherds. And Mary
kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and
praising God for all they had heard and seen just as it had been told to them. (Luke 2:16-20)
Piety
O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray; cast out our sin, and
enter in, be born in us today. We hear
the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell; O come to us, abide with us,
our Lord Emmanuel!
(from O Little Town of Bethlehem, words by Phillips Brooks, 1835-1893)
Study
Lord, this is the first time I’ve been alone in days. The shepherds have departed and Joseph has
gone to buy food. My heart is full and I
don’t know what any of this means. As a
young girl, whenever I thought of having children, I always pictured being at
home, in my own bed, my mother at my side to comfort and help me. Nothing about the last few months has been
what I imagined. My parents were shamed
by my pregnancy. I don’t know if they
believed any of what I told them. I
think they were just relieved when Joseph took me into his home.
I will never forget the things your messenger Gabriel said to me; your
angel’s words are safe in my heart, but what do they mean? I’ve unwrapped my child and looked him over
many times in the past few days. I’ve
counted his fingers and toes, stroked his soft, downy hair. He looks like any other baby I’ve ever seen. He cries to be fed or to be changed. The warmth of my body when I snuggle him
settles him. Yet your messenger said
this baby will be great, that he will be called the Most High. The angel said he will be holy and even said
that he is the Son of God! The shepherds
who came this evening said angels had appeared to them, too, saying my baby is
the Messiah, the long-expected One. They
came to see my newborn Jesus and referred to him as their Savior as they knelt
here in the hay. I know no one at home
would believe that if I told them!
Even though I am feeling overwhelmed and confused, I put my trust in
you, O Lord. I don’t know why you asked
me to be the mother of this special child, but I agreed to what you asked and I
am a person of my word. Joseph and I
will be the best parents we can. We will
teach him to know you and love you, to be faithful to your Law. I promise to reflect on these mysteries every
day in my heart. If it be your will, O
Lord, I ask that one day you reveal to me their meaning.
Action
Christ chooses to be born in each of us, to enter
into our lives at the deepest level. Spend
some time, as Mary must have, pondering the wonder of God’s love, the wonder of
being chosen as an object of his great affection. A lifetime of reflection may bring us closer
to understanding the mystery of Divine Love as well as the stark realization of
the frequent poverty of our response.
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