Seeking Wisdom

“All is calm, all is bright. . .”

“I like being around you because you are a calm person,” said a student I had some years ago. Oh wow, I thought at the time, I must be some actress. I rarely felt calm when I was teaching, although it was a quality I yearned to have, deep within, especially at Christmas.

As I have aged, and especially this year, I feel that sense of calm increasing. After retiring from ministry in September, my spirit is much more receptive of the deep-down serenity that often alluded me during my busier years. Perhaps calm is merely an ideal we strive for our entire lives, but only catch fleeting moments of here and there when we are generative, busy, and restless for more. When we are privileged to live longer, time does not slow down by any means. However, slipping into the stillness is no longer another task on the to-do list. Time spent in contemplation opens the door to the timelessness of the Holy One, a welcome respite any time of the day.

Today, I sat by my fireplace and gazed at the Nativity scene. I allowed the words of “Silent Night” to breathe through my consciousness. “All is calm, all is bright” then permeated my whole being this second day of Christmas.

“Let every heart prepare him room. . .And heaven and nature sing. . .While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy. . .”

It is Christmas day! Time to celebrate JOY, no matter what the news tells us, no matter what burdens we are carrying, no matter how many injustices remain in our world. The Incarnation of Jesus, the second “big bang” that happened on Earth, infused a light that can never be extinguished. But we have to open our eyes to see it, open our hearts to experience it.

Perhaps because I was born on Christmas Day, my soul is inured with a deep primordial joy when the season rolls around. Lovely childhood memories of Christmases in Minnesota, when my parents were in charge, rise from my daily meditations. We were not rich by any stretch, but we always had a tree, gifts (extras for me, the birthday girl), a special meal and a birthday cake. My heart still expands when I recall soft snow falling at night, the sound of familiar carols during midnight mass in our ancient stone church, my mother wishing me a happy birthday when mass was over.

The Christmases I have lived in California, when I was in charge of the celebrations, are also filled with joy unspeakable. Determined to make every year better, I conjure up the mystical and magical as I prepare during Advent for the big celebration. I bake traditional cookies, prepare sacramental meals, and plan spiritual rituals for friends and family who grace my dinner tables. Everyone must get involved and partake of the food that nourishes both body and soul.

On this first day of Christmas 2021, the joy of our candle-lighting ritual before dinner always elates me. Little white candles in gold candle holders are clipped to every plate. As we light each others’ candles, each person pronounces a blessing. This year, we had twenty people at the table (I have 9 grandchildren)! They blessed family, healthcare workers, friends far away, in hospitals, in nursing homes, or those homeless on the streets who do not have anyone. Most heartening were the tiny chirps of affirmation from our one-year-old in a high chair. She provided a light-hearted accompaniment to the solemn blessings of those who lost a loved one to Covid this year. More nourishing than the meal itself, there are no words to describe moments like these. Tears of joy spilled into my glass of wine as we toasted to another glorious Christmas day.

Every year, beginning on December 25^th, I celebrate the full twelve days of Christmas. Perhaps because of my work in ministry for so many decades, I have been an insistent proponent of following the strict church calendar. But that’s not the only reason. I simply wanted to have a designated span of time to slow down and embrace the Incarnation, the infusion of the divine into every order corner of my life. At year’s end, this practice has steadied and fortified me for whatever the coming new year would bring. I see it as a gift not only to myself but to anyone who yearns for wisdom, seeks more meaning out of life than our consumer culture can ever provide. Rather than feeling let down the day after Christmas (as so many children often experience), or a sense of “good riddance” (as so many adults experience), the anticipation mounts to stay in the “Christmas frame of mind” until we reach Epiphany on January 6^th.

For years, I have written and shared these reflections with family, friends, in person and online and many of you have accompanied me on this little sojourn. So once again, I invite you to take this twelve day journey with me. Resist the urge to take down the tree and put away the decorations early! Tarry awhile in the glow, linger in the light, and feel filled with strength when the first week of 2022 comes to be.

O EMMANUEL, COME, help us know you are “God with us” in your birthless, deathless presence flowing from every leaf, flower, butterfly, bird, animal, and person; show us we are one.

O KING, COME unexpectedly into our carefully ordered worlds and surprise us with your reign of mystical passion; bring us to our knees in adoration before your crown of love.

O DAYSPRING, COME, illumine our hearts with the warmth of your love; give us the courage to bear your light to those engulfed in darkness.

O KEY OF DAVID, COME, unlock the doors of our hearts and free us from the prisons of dysfunction that keep us stuck and imprisoned; inspire us to liberate others from the shackles of shame.

O ROOT OF JESSE, COME, give us insight and appreciation for our common ancestry, a timeless unification of the past, present, and future; help us receive the gift of every moment.