This...Child...Is...Dangerous...Be Warned.

"By reason of creation,and still more by reason of The Incarnation there is nothing profane, for the one, who knows how to see." These are the profound words of deChardin. Then we can add these words of St.Francis, "Everything that is,is to be adored." G.M.Hopkins chimes in with, "All of creation is charged with the splendor of God." "In every winters heart lies a quivering spring,behind the veil of each night waits a smiling dawn" is Gibran's gift to us. Were it not for The Incarnation,and all those events that followed that mysterious event,such wisdom would not be ours. As we reflect, ever anew, on one of The Five Supernatural Mysteries of our faith, we are drawn into an ever newer,enlightened,enlivened faith. A faith that triggers awe, wonder, and excitement. As we allow ourselves to be gently guided by creative Spirit into a knowledge and acceptance of who we really are, because of The Incarnation. We must also be very aware, be very conscious of our everyday participation in this Mystery as well. The Incarnation continues to become real,in the reality of our ever so ordinary lives. God does not need great dramatic events through which He reveals to all creation, who He is. Through each and every real event of our daily lives God is continuing that which was began on that first Christmas night. Back then God used very ordinary people,and places to be the instruments of His revelation. As it was, so it is, and ever shall be. Without interruption through good times, and so-called bad times our God continuously reveals Himself. As each moment, we live, is a new moment, a virginal moment, so the revelation that is given to us is, ever new. Nothing is repeated in God's creation. Is it not something to be excited about, that we are always part of something new? No two moments are ever exactly the same. In this "ever newness" is both hidden and revealed our ongoing understanding of God becoming a human being. This continuation of The Incarnation happens in and through the everyday healthy human actions of our lives. We are Mary, male and female alike. God became a human being through the "Yes" of Mary. By our repeated "Yes" to the reality of the life we encounter, The Mystery Of The Incarnations continues. This is each and every persons dignity. I love the following words of Thomas Merton, "Make ready for The Christ whose smile like lightening sets free the song of everlasting glory that now sleeps in our paper flesh like dynamite". That gently,loving smile,must be claimed by us, as directed only to us. To Him who loves us ,we are His only beloved son/daughter. Never cease to embrace,to claim, again and again this fact, you are the beloved. That you are loved uniquely. There is no other love like the love relationship that has ALWAYS existed between you and your Beloved Father/Mother. From His womb you have sprung. Please believe this IS who you have been, are now, and ever shall be through all eternity. So it will by this radical action,you will triggering the "dynamite". The more radical the acceptance,the greater the power released to transfigure and transform. By this I mean, the more we have to struggle through the toxic trinity, guilt, fear, and shame, to the acceptance of being the beloved the greater the grace explosion. Where sin abounds, grace abounds even more. These words of scripture become a lived experience. This truth ats us free,to become who are called to be,the "contemporary "Christ. Christ we know from the scriptures is The Beloved Son. Each and every one of us because of our participation in His divine nature through Baptism,we too are beloved daughter/son. This may help as we think about heaven and hell. We have made it so easy to go to hell, and so difficult to go to heaven. It is the other way round. It is so difficult to go to hell, and so easy to go to heaven.We are the beloved, or we are not. As the beloved, we too, hear those words, "You are my beloved Son,in you I am well pleased". We must not make the horrible mistake of thinking that our way of thinking in any way is a reflection of God's way of thinking,or judging. This is why God to share fully in the human condition to the point of suffering and death. He wanted to blow out of the water the idea that there is no similarity between the knowledge that comes from our unaided reason with the infinite length,depth, and breath of Him Who is our Beloved. Love had to become Incarnate,love had to become a human being,so that human beings could embrace the reality that they are loved with a merciful love. This merciful love that cannot be experienced in this life. The love of fellow humans just mirrors,gives us a taste,of the infinite love from which we came, and as a consequence is true home. We will never be at rest in this ,"our passing dwelling." Let us be agents of The Living God, in other words, angels, trumpeting the Good News. We must be the vices that proclaim there is a Savior in our world. He dwells among us. He dwells within us,and He is always with us. He is truly Emmanuel. He is,The Light, that darkness cannot overcome. We as individuals, couples, families, family of nations, need to be reminded again, and again of this reality. We are human and as such get discouraged. Did not Jesus, who became the Christ become discouraged, and more than once? So we are to drawn from His resolve never to give up but accompany Him on His journey, down the road,to Jerusalem. There The child Jesus, grown to manhood,through His suffering,death, and resurrection, became The Christ of God. In this way He fulfilled His destiny and accomplished His God given mission. For this He was born, for this He came into the world. It is no different for us, who follow Him. As it was,so it is, and ever shall be. My sincerest wish for you is that as you journey through this Christmas-Epiphany Season the awe-fullness, the wonder-fullness that is hidden and revealed in each and every moment,may explode on you like dynamite.