Dear Friends,

Last year, my community planned a special Christmas activity that dates back to the times of St. Therese of Lisieux in her Carmelite community. Each person drew a folded piece of paper with the names of a character from the Nativity scene. We then put ourselves in the spot of that person or animal to contemplate the manger scene from that perspective. I picked the donkey!

It’s an interesting way to enter the Christmas mystery. We can each ask ourselves, where do I find myself in the manger scene this year? Do I identify with the angels who announce, “Glory to God in the highest and peace to men of good will,” offering a song of joy to a world in darkness? Or, do I identify with the shepherds, who hear this great proclamation and run with haste to see the child? They have no false pretensions of being worthy, but their hearts lead them right to the scene where they find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Or, perhaps, I may feel like the wise men, weighed down by the length of the journey, following a star, in a seeking that at times seems like a crazy man’s dream. They finally arrive, bow prostrate before their King and offer precious gifts to him: the gold, the incense, and the nard (aromatic oil) of their heart.

This mystery of Christ is unique in its simplicity and one of the most inviting to pray with. It is a mystery opened wide for us to enter with awe and grace. I pray that, in this season, you will stop to contemplate, allowing these scenes to speak to your mind and heart.

Best wishes in this Christmas season,

Glory