MONDAY, JAN 1
Luke 2: 16 -21
The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,
they made known the message
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising God
for all they had heard and seen,
just as it had been told to them.When eight days were completed for his circumcision,
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel
before he was conceived in the womb.
Grace: I ask for the grace to know Jesus in a deeper way that I may abundantly love and follow him.
My imagination brims with sensory images as I enter into this scene of shepherds coming in search of Jesus. These tableaus are saturated with color, sound and smell. I hear feet crossing over straw, scraping the dirt; simultaneously I see fragments of straw kicked up into the air. The fragments are made visible by the sparks of a fire dancing in the darkness.. I see the breaths of the Holy Family, those of the shepherds and the animals suspended in the cold. Constant puffs of vapor rise and the air is pungent with all of this intermingling of creation.
The shepherds themselves are not young boys. As they come into the common area I notice they are weary with eyes foretelling lost sleep and slender faces. These faces light up the darkness and warm in appearance as they approach the Madonna and child.
I never imagine them gazing at Jesus in a manger as we so often sing in the hymns of the season and witness with countless nativity sets. For I know of no new mother who would place an infant away from her security and body heat. Mary is nestled up against the chest of Joseph who encircles both Mary and the baby. It is warmer this way. This exchange and monitoring of two heart beats and two breaths in rhythm recalls the most ancient of lullabies for infants across the ages…Beat and breath, beat and breath…Hush and sign,…hush and sigh. Just so the shepherds sit with Mary and Joseph and the baby. There is quiet conversation and the weary eyes of the shepherds well up with emotion.
This scene leaves me adrift in a sea of peace. I wish to linger, to stay at sea and savor the stillness. Now all I hear is the moaning of the wind save for the uneven shuffle of the animals. It is time for the world to rest, Dona Nobis Pacem.
For Reflection and Prayer:
Remember a time when you experienced peace and gentleness. What words do you wish to tell the Prince of Peace? Stay still and listen to receive his words.
To close your prayer period you may choose to hear the canon Dona Nobis Pacem.
The Contributor:
Mary Wilder, MA Sp. is a retreat leader, teacher and spiritual director in San Antonio. She has been blessed to both receive and to guide others through the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola in daily life. You may contact her at: mawilder@earthlink.net
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Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner.