The nativity of Jesus is an extraordinary and radiant account of divine intervention into the dark world of humanity at a time that typifies all of human history throughout all time, all cultures, generations, centuries as far back as recorded history reaches.
Originally, I considered the Jesus story a "living myth," one that actually occurred but one that has an archetypal iconic depth of timeless meaning that speaks to us on almost every level of our common existence. It seemed like a parabolic unfolding with incredible depths and meaning.
After further reflection, I began to see the Jesus story as more than that. While it may have happened historically as reported in Matthew and Luke, it is a sacrament itself - an expression or revelation of a divine reality within our dark oppressive culture of death. It has catalytic power to change us, to move the mountains that stand in our way of living authentically, guiding us into the divine/human beings we were meant to be.
As I read it again after some time, it seemed the sparkling radiance of the Star that lit up the night sky, terrifying shepherds who were watching their flocks, was a sign of a divine penetration into our "dark night." Then, a heavenly chorus of angels, divine messengers, arrived as accompanying ambassadors from another realm, announcing the arrival of a king, whose arrival was quite normal - through birth.
The birth of the divine infant was in stark contrast with the way humans typically announce the arrival of a dignitary from another country with all the fanfare, red carpets, even military display - uniformed men marching in perfect step to the orders of a commanding officer to display a nation's power. Military might versus angels from heaven is a startling contrast of the intersection of heaven and earth.
One can almost hear heaven saying to the people of Earth, "Hush thy noise, ye men of strife, I've come in peace to heal and help you."
Heaven sent angels. We send tough, power-crazed military leaders threatening to nuke the world. Heaven's king came as a vulnerable infant born to a young woman in a remote cave where animals were stabled, wrapped in soft cloths and placed in the animals' feeding trough of hay - a manger.
The infant king, unlike a Saudi leader staying in a Trump tower, needed nothing more than the love he came with. It was powerful enough to speak to a world in dire need of the gift he brought us.
He simply brought the love he came from. He was the message and the messenger. Human beings since, have worshipped and idolized the messenger but may have lost or forgotten the power and value of the message.
This precious baby, this gift from heaven brought heaven to us. He was a jewel of great price clothed in a human body. He was the pearl of great price - precious, powerful, efficacious; yet, he was a jewel we failed to understand and rejected. Perhaps, it was because the false human leadership felt threatened because His love couldn't be controlled or corrupted.
The pearl of love he was and brought us is self-less, surrendered to life itself, nonjudgmental, accepting, honoring, compassionate, caring, fearless, and courageous, informed and driven by a rare and unique wisdom through which He was able to connect with a greater source of universal intelligence, consciousness, compassion, and power.
The love that he was is magnetic, electronic, transformative with the ability to change matter, rearrange particles on a cellular level with the single stroke of thought. His power emanated from the love with which he thought and projected according to his intention which was only love.
He was living love by Being Love and Doing Love. He was thoroughly saturated with perfect love which he revealed as the creative life force itself.
He instructed us how to become as he is, and thereby be free and powerful. He wore our humanity infused with the essence of life itself - Love. We learned from him love is a power stronger than death even transcending every limitation we could think of - including torture and death.
He was the essence of love, the perfect emanation from the universal creator. His love came here to teach us how to love.
In contrast, Herod and his minions - the illegitimate chief priests of the temple, must have intuitively sensed his cosmic power. They must have felt threatened. Their limited, fear-driven power was the insanity that ruled this world - and still does - enslaving and slowly poisoning everyone and everything.
He allowed us to see his Radical Love in all its brilliant power and beauty on the same stage as their dark, manipulative, selfish, secretive, psychopathic exploitation of the animals and the poor, reducing the lives of the people to bare subsistence. His message to them is his message to us today. Love.
His love wept, felt compassion, and yet was unfailing, uncompromising, relentless, courageous right up to the end when his love forgave those who falsely accused him, whipped him, and hung him up to die.
In the end, as in the beginning, they couldn't kill his love. The power that he was so far surpasses anything we could ever imagine. It transcends everything we've ever known. As life itself, it is still here. He said this love is who we are. It is who we were designed to be.
In his prayer, he offers us an idea on how to get back to who we are. In an act of our free will, we pray, "Thy will be done," we pray to our divine creator. We surrender and submit to love, who is the creator and creative force for our lives and our world.
still under construction . . .
