This Night of Wondrous Nights

He walks through the dark, unfamiliar streets, isolated and alone,

a young man starting out in life so far away from home.

No Christmas tree to call his own, no friends nor family;

his only warmth is an empty room and some treasured memories.

The door of a church stands open wide, beckoning him inside.

The soft, sweet sound of carollers stops him in his stride.

With hopeful heart he enters, dispelling gloom with light.

Strangers now are family, this night of wondrous nights.

 

In a dim and dismal tenement on the lower end of town

a single mom with naught but love gently lays her baby down.

Silently a teardrop falls, an expression of despair;

she sees the twinkling lights outside but feels that no one cares.

With barely any food to feed herself and hungry child,

no money for life’s basic needs, much less for presents piled.

Then comes a knock upon the door, her neighbours smiling bright,

invite her to share Christmas this night of wondrous nights.

In the hot, harsh sand of a foreign land torn apart by strife

a soldier holds a little girl who clings precariously to life.

Their worlds are vastly different, yet now forever intertwined;

the horror she has witnessed she cannot leave behind.

No one else can ease her pain, so for days now he has stayed there,

cuddling, consoling, comforting her to soothe away the fear.

With a gentle touch he reaches out to try to bring some light

into the darkness of her life, this night of wondrous nights.

A mother, lost in memories past, sits in her rocking chair

fondling recalling days gone by when she held her babies there.

A happy family gathered ‘round sing songs of joyous glee;

while far away sweet tiny tots place an angel on the tree.

An old man kneels in reverence before a bed of straw;

soon he is joined by others, each filled with wonder and awe.

The world awaits the Gift of Love bathed in glowing light;

God with us, Emmanuel, on this night of wondrous nights.

Innocence Lost

From the time I first learned to read, in the days of innocence, I have always been fascinated by the power of words to evoke images, convey meaning, and stimulate the imagination.  That is, until Friday, December 14, 2012. The words I heard and the images they created in my imagination on that day brought only horror and sorrow in mind-numbing waves of shock.  Innocence and innocents died on that day when unspeakable evil came to Newtown, Connecticut.

“This can’t be happening,” was the global thought as breaking news bulletins spread the sad message around the world that twenty little children and six courageous teachers fell victim to a merciless spray of bullets in a heinous act of violence.  Words, then, became too painful to bear as the collective mind of humanity recoiled from the blow of hell’s fury.

Lyrics from a Gordon Lightfoot classic have been reverberating through my brain since this story first began to unfold:  “Does anyone know where the love of God goes…?”  I don’t presume to have an answer to that question, but it continues to force its way into my consciousness nonetheless.  I can only hope – yes, and pray, too – that God’s plan for this world never included such a slaughter.  Ironically, Scripture tells us that around the time of Jesus’ birth, Herod, after hearing tales of the arrival of a new King, ordered a massacre of young children in an effort to eradicate a possible usurper of his throne.  The Christian Church remembers this event annually in December as the Feast of the Holy Innocents.  It takes on new significance now as the wailing of parents from 2000 years ago is echoed today in small town America.

Shock, sadness, grief and anger have consumed millions of ordinary people over the last few days as they struggle to process the pain of this horrific deed.  Going forward, determination to eliminate weapons such as those used in this attack from mainstream society should be the driving force of all citizenry.  Guns capable of firing hundreds of bullets in succession should be prohibited to the exclusive domain of the military or law enforcement; permitting them to be purchased by private individuals (for whatever reason) is absolutely ludicrous.  The right to bear arms has obviously been taken too far. 

It will take a concerted effort to bring about stricter gun regulations in the land of the free, but what alternative is there?  Schools were never meant to be killing grounds. 

The Forgotten Season

Advent is the forgotten season.  Although the four weeks preceding Christmas are meant to be a period of waiting and preparation, our busy modern lifestyle often skips right over this season and we tend to lose sight of its significance.  Advent is rich in beautiful symbolism, heralding the beginning of the liturgical year with traditions that date back at least to the Middle Ages.  The Advent wreath, usually a circle of evergreen boughs, signifies unity and enduring life.  The three purple candles, the color associated with royalty, represent the Prince of Peace while the rose candle is a symbol of joy and is lit on the Third Sunday of Advent as we rejoice at the nearness of the Christmas celebration.  In some Churches, the celebrant also wears rose colored vestments at Mass on that Sunday.  Now that’s certainly something to look forward to!

The four weekly themes of Advent – HOPE, PEACE, JOY and LOVE – invite us to deeper reflection on their meaning.  Are they merely words or do we see them as guideposts for life?

It seems we live our lives in fast forward, always thinking, planning and jumping ahead without ever actually stopping to savour the present.  Our secular world perpetuates this accelerated pace and we, for the most part, buy into it hook, line and sinker.  In mid-July, the rush is on to gather all those back to school supplies so that our kids will have a good head start on the new school year.  When school finally re-opens, the store shelves are filled with pumpkins, candy and Halloween costumes.  By the time the trick or treaters come to our door, the malls are aglow with Christmas trees and trimmings while carols blare incessantly in every store.  The solemn marking of Remembrance Day often gets lost in the hurry to install Santa’s workshop in the center court.  Our ears, minds, and wallets are bombarded with Christmas commercialism long before the Christ Child’s birthday celebration comes along.

With hardly a moment to catch a breath between each well-advertised shopping season, is it any wonder that we have lost the fine art of anticipation?  We’ve become so good at putting the cart before the horse that we have somehow managed to deprive ourselves of the wonder of the journey!  I recall a simpler time when the world seemed less hectic than it does now.  Take Advent calendars for example:  once upon a time, they held little paper windows which you could fold back each day, and behind each window was a good deed which had to be fulfilled to help prepare yourself for the coming of Jesus.  Today’s version offers paper windows which open up to reveal chocolate and, of course, many children nowadays don’t know what it’s like to wait for anything so they often eat the whole supply of chocolate in one day.

We’ve been conditioned to reject waiting.  Why should we wait for anything anymore?  We live in a world of instant text messaging, instant information at our fingertips via the internet, smart phones, ipads, and live TV to keep us constantly in touch with breaking news updates complete with video streaming – heck, most of us don’t even read newspapers or magazines anymore because the printed message is obsolete by the time we get it.  So, why bother with Advent?  How could it possibly help us to prepare for and better appreciate the gift of Christmas?

Look at it this way.  A beautiful wedding celebration, for example, doesn’t just happen.  It usually involves quite a bit of preparation and planning before we all gather to celebrate that very special occasion. Christmas, too, takes up a great deal of our time as we prepare the house, select the perfect gifts for those on our list, choose a turkey or ham, put up the tree and decorations, etc.  Yet, sometimes the real meaning of the celebration gets lost in the hustle and bustle.  That’s where Advent can help us slow down and prepare our hearts for Christmas.

Most of us start the day with a cup of tea or coffee – if we turn off the morning news and spend a few minutes giving thanks for the new day while we enjoy that cup of java, it just might bring a different perspective to our lives.  Food Banks are especially in need of assistance at this time of the year – perhaps a financial donation or an offering of time to deliver food hampers or gifts might be something that you are able to do this year.  Maybe something as simple as a smile or a friendly greeting to a stranger could lighten that person’s load today.  Perhaps a brief time carved out of your busy day for quiet prayer or reflection is achievable at this stage of your life.  Never underestimate its power to change the way you look at things.

When the challenges of daily life weigh heavy on your shoulders, when you or someone you care about receives a dreaded diagnosis, when a friend is brought to her knees by too many burdens, when you are caught in the sandwich generation worrying about aging parents and growing kids, when you and your spouse seem to come from different planets, when your teenager races headlong down the wrong path, when a grown son or daughter struggles to find employment, even when the hurt is too deep for words,…. Take it to Him.

When a little child’s spontaneous smile brightens your day, when a friend gives you a just-because hug, when a song on the radio brings back happy memories, when your life has been blessed by the presence of a loving, loyal animal companion, when a single brave tulip peeps out through a mound of snow and finally announces an end to winter, when an adult offspring says, “I’m sorry I was such a pain in the *** when I was growing up”, …. Take it to Him.

So, the next time you find yourself in a panic because there are only “x” number of shopping days left until Christmas, STOP….., take a deep breath, and thank God for the greatest gift any of us will ever really need – the gift of love given to us at Christmas.  Enjoy your Advent!

 

 

Life's Video Screen

I recently witnessed the exchange of wedding vows between my eldest son and the woman he loves.  In those few moments, a myriad of thoughts and images went through my mind – the sound of his first cry, the wondrous experience of caressing his tiny fingers for the first time, the sheer joy of holding him close to my heart seconds after his birth.  It seemed as if his whole life thus far played across a video screen which only I could see while he pledged his love and commitment forever to his beautiful bride.

Where have all the years gone, I wondered, as I marvelled at the sincerity of emotion expressed by this handsome young groom.  Pride, joy, happiness and gratitude to God for the gift of life and love filled my heart as my son and his wife sealed their covenant through vows and the giving of rings.  A smile touched my lips when I saw him discreetly wipe away a single tear from the corner of his eye.  I’m not ashamed to admit that I did a lot of blinking to ease the moisture from my own lashes, and even my husband’s dark brown eyes, so like our son’s, were suspiciously damp as well. 

Sons # 2 and 3, usually a pair of bantering, fun-loving participants at social events, wore thoughtful expressions as they stood by their brother’s side to witness his marriage.  The three of them made a striking picture and, once again, that video screen of my mind’s eye replayed vivid images of three little boys from the past. 

The bride’s parents and her four lovely sisters, along with a brother-in-law and precious baby niece, completed our expanding family circle on that special day as we all shared in the union of these two wonderful young people.  Just one more loving memory to cherish along the journey of life!