Inspired by Scholastica

God stoops down to embrace our humanness, our fragile, broken frame of bones and sinews limping, stumbling along, holding our aches and pains that cry out for relief, the yearnings imbedded deep within our hearts, even the sins festering in our souls. He bends low to scoop us up into his arms like a mother cherishing her nursing child, feeding us with the milk of mercy, cuddling us with tenderness and a warm embrace God takes on our flesh, becomes one with us in all the sweat and tears of life, the loneliness, weariness, rejection, doubts, failures, and humiliations. Was there ever a God as humble as ours?

" For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."  —Romans 8:38-39 Christmas is associated with love, especially the love of a God whose fullness we have all received. Paul assures us that we are bound to God in Christ Jesus and nothing can separate us. This unity is the real gift of Christmas. Other gifts are nice, but ultimately unsatisfying. Of course, most of us don't know this. We keep searching for the perfect gift unaware that we already have it. Only in contemplative prayer can we experience this fullness of love that is poured into us. And as Richard Rohr says, " Love is One, and this Love is either shared and passed on or it is not the Great Love at all."  Christmas is a time of sharing and passing on God's love to our fami...

When Christmas decorations and songs begin even before Thanksgiving, it is hard to observe the Advent season of waiting and preparing. How do we block out the hoopla and hear the beautiful Advent readings and hymns of longing for the coming of the Savior of the world. Yes, he has already come, but he wants to come more fully into our lives. Mary was pregnant for nine months preparing for Jesus' birth. We too are pregnant with the possibilities of birthing Jesus into a world torn apart by divisions, antipathies, and wars. What can we do to bring healing and peace in our families, cities, and country? How can we reach out to refugees, immigrants, the homeless, and the forgotten?  How can we share our abundance with those in need? That should be our concern, our focus, during this holy season. As we decorate our trees and write our Christmas cards, may we pray and reach out to those who won't have a tree or receive a card. Pope Francis has urged us to open our hearts to th...

Have you ever heard of the pickle ornament? According to German tradition, the pickle brings good luck. On Christmas morning the first child to find the pickle received an extra little gift left by St. Nicholas. This was supposed to encourage children to appreciate all the ornaments on the tree instead of rushing to open their gifts. Or what about the peanut ornament? Another tradition says that the peanut is a symbol of mystery and anticipation of the Christmas season. Just as when you open the shell, you find the peanut inside, the Christmas season unfolds with many delightful surprises. In past times, families would make handmade decorations with peanuts and other gilded nuts to adorn the Christmas tree. These traditions sound quaint to us now, but Christmas traditions are very important in many homes. Some families used to string popcorn or make ornaments out of colored paper or tin foil. Others leave seeds and tidbits for birds and other animals outside. Some read the stor...

I cannot imagine what it would be like to spend Christmas in prison without family or friends or gifts. It sounds unbearably lonely and inhumane. Pope Francis visits prisoners. I write to a prisoner who is spending his life in prison for a crime committed in his youth. He has spent most of this life behind bars. Yet he always begins his letters with “Another God-given day!” and ends with “God bless you and all the sisters.”  My prisoner friend, who is in his 60s, has no family left. He has run out of appeals so he has no hope of release. I send him jokes, poems, stationery, and stamps, and he is always grateful. There are restrictions on what he can receive. I’m sure he can identify with the Christchild born in a stable with little comfort or warmth. But Jesus at least had his parents surrounding him with love. At the end, of course, Jesus was abandoned on the cross and died a shameful death. During this Christmas season, perhaps we can say an extra pr...