The Personal Christmas Story
Winter, 2004
The Christmas story is about the Divine coming into the physical world and residing in a human body. All the story really needs is a divine seed, a human womb and a baby. The rest is extraneous: the innkeeper turning the beleaguered Mary and Joseph away, the donkey schlepping along and dutifully carrying its burden, the stable with straw and smelly cows chewing their cuds, the shepherds protecting their flocks through the night and seeing visions of angels, the far-away wise men noticing a star and traveling a long journey on their trusty camels to deliver their gifts.
But these extra details are important, for they’re so much like our lives. All of us have knocked on the doors of institutions and been told that we don’t qualify or we’re not needed—there is no room in the inn for us. Our days are filled with the commonplace sounds and smells of the stable: the rumbling ruminations of others, the stink of everyday ka-ka, the stuffiness of buses and office cubicles. Like cows and sheep, banal details crowd about us, or lie underfoot, keeping us busy and earthbound. Much of what we do turns to straw rather than gold. Once in a while, a star shines on us and we feel enlivened. Angels visit us in our sleep and in our grief, bringing encouragement when we are weary. We are both the common folk of shepherd-dom and the royalty of wise men bearing precious gifts. Like Joseph, we are surrogate parents to someone, somewhere. We are also Mary, in that we contain a god-seed. And we are like the divine child because, in our vulnerability and lack of development, we carry immense potential.
Below are a few questions relating various features of the Christmas story to our lives. I suggest interspersing holiday preparations with periods of meditation. A simple ritual can help you move into a reflective attitude: light a candle or settle yourself in front of your crèche each time you pause to consider a piece of the Christmas story. Or listen to instrumental music as you hold one of the questions in your awareness.
innkeeper: Where are you saying "no" to opportunity? donkey: In what ways do you treat your body like a "beast of burden?" stable: Where do you go for shelter and safety? straw: How can you offer warmth to another? cows: What nourishes your soul? shepherds: What keeps you awake at night? sheep: Where in your life do you need to tend quietly to mundane details? angels: Recall one heavenly message you've received. star: What acts as a guiding light for you? wise men: What gifts do you carry? camel: Where have you shown patience and stamina in the past year? Mary: Identify one aspect of yourself that feels pregnant with new life. Joseph: Who looks to you as a mentor or role model? baby: Name one potential within you that remains undeveloped.
May the holiday season bring peace that abides with you throughout the new year.