Last year I spent the twelve days of Christmas contemplating the various renditions of the Nativity in artwork. This year, I’ve decided to focus on the beautiful music I’ve heard that’s animated my heart to the joy of the season.

As I listened to Christmas worship music on my way to visit my parents for Christmas, I couldn’t help but feel something stirring in my heart at the sound of certain phrases being sung so I wanted to share the songs with you.

The first is one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time. O Come O Come Emmanuel! This rendition is not the traditional one, but it’s awesome nonetheless.

Just some words I found stirring as I listened: exile, ransom, key. It reminded me of how the missionaries of Acts XXIX sum up the Gospel – created, captured, ransomed, response. If you haven’t checked out their website or podcast, please do. I have them listed on my resources and apps pages. Fr. John Riccardo and his group of missionaries are amazing and share lots of awesome insights. One I’ll share, which I hope will pique your interest enough to click, is Fr. John’s image of Jesus as an AMBUSH PREDATOR! What will your response be today? God bless you!

We’ve heard it many times, the story of the Nativity. Mary and Joseph, arriving in Bethlehem for the census only to find there was no room for them in the inn. Mary forced to give birth in a stable. Contemplate how terrible that sounds. Imagine no room, no suitable place for the “tabernacle” of the Lord. If ever there was a time for Mary to ask “but how could this be?!”

These past few weeks have given me an opportunity to truly prepare Him room. If it’s possible, I’ve “overdosed”, in a good way, on readings, podcasts and music for Advent and the result has been a conscious effort to truly make room in my heart where Jesus can be born, reside and where we can abide together.

I know I’ve mentioned this in prior reflections but the idea of birthing Jesus myself was at the heart of my meditations this year much more concretely than in years past.

I often ponder Mary’s humility, Joseph’s patience or God’s providence when reading the nativity story. Never have I pondered how the inn in the scene is my heart. How am I not making room, how am I failing to “give birth” to Jesus? Jesus came once for all. We hear in Scripture that his parents lost him once, but we keep losing Him. He wants to be found, He desires to be born again in us, in this present time.

The more I pondered that thought, the more God spoke in all the things I read and heard. I want to share it all with you. Maybe you can take the time to ponder each of these. My hope is that it will transform your heart, the way it did mine.

First, there’s a portion of my morning prayer (the complete prayer by Fr. Glenn Sudano is posted in Journal Notes): May this my heart, become your home, a Holy Temple, this day and everyday……….By the power of Your grace, may this heart be as a throne where You can reign supreme filling my life with truth, peace, charity, and justice.

Second, an excerpt from Monastery Journey to Christmas by Brother Victor Antoine Davila-Latourette: The first 2 antiphons of today’s vespers, the first vespers of the Solemnity, address the Savior as the King of Peace. He comes to each of us personally and to the whole world at large, as our King bearing his gift of peace. He makes his face shine upon us and with his shimmering radiance He saves us. “Far, far away is Bethlehem and years are long and dim. Since Mary held the Holy Child and angels sang for Him. But still to hearts where love and faith make room for Christ in them, He comes again, the Child from God, to find his Bethlehem.” – W. Russell Bowle.

Third, in Reed of God by Caryll Houselander, page 132: She found Christ in everyone and everyone found Christ in her! They only knew that she was inexhaustibly, sympathetic, illimitably wise and wholly loveable. THAT’S IT!! That is how we know we’ve birthed Christ into our present time.

All throughout Advent, my journal notes mention “ebb and flow, give and take” – I imagine a sort of dance – a graceful dance between God and us – that’s ultimate Union when He abides in us and us in Him! When that happens, we become like Him in the world – and I believe that’s what Houselander is getting at here. There’s a “radar” if you will – which truly transformed Christians have. It allows them to recognize Christ in the other. There’s wisdom in each abiding Christian which allows an ebb and flow of sympathy and love between them.

Fourth, Fr. Mark Beard in one of his homilies on Youtube spoke about John the Baptist and other prominent figures in the Bible having one purpose in life: to point to Jesus. I can’t help but make the connection – that’s our purpose too! It’s what we Catholics are told to do at the end of each mass: Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life!

Christmas is here! If the bustle of the season got the best of you and you were too distracted, it’s never too late to start over. I invite you to use the 12 days of Christmas to come back to Jesus. Invite Him into your heart and celebrate Epiphany by gifting your heart to Jesus without reservation. Give it all with the wisdom in knowing what it means to give it ALL!! Merry Christmas and God bless you today and always!