Epiphany Eve

 

On the eve of Epiphany, lean in and listen to this wisdom from St. Francis of Assisi:

 

"We are the mother of Christ when we carry him in our heart and body by love and a pure and sincere conscience. And we give birth to him through our holy works which ought to shine on others by our example."

 

I invite you today to name one place – could be a meeting or conversation or appointment – where you will be the mother of Christ today.  Be specific.  For example, “I will be the mother of Christ when I am at Bible Study.”  Or, “I will be the mother of Christ when I talk to my co-workers.”  Or, “I will be the mother of Christ when I go into the grocery store.”

 

I know this sounds odd to our modern ears.  But here is what I find fascinating.  St. Francis lived in the 1200s, over eight hundred years ago.  What would the church look like if we had lived and taught this wisdom over that time?  What would the world be like if we let such simple wisdom govern and guide our living every day?  What would your life be like if you dared to practice this? 

 

When you weave this quote with the one from Luci Shaw yesterday, we start to see that every interaction can be like a gift.  Too often we leave the gift unopened because we do not offer our full authentic self to the other person OR we struggle to receive that person OR we don’t share and shine the light of Christ on the person because we are afraid of the other’s response.  We have not exercised the muscle to be fully present in each moment and the life that is being formed/fashioned in that moment. 

 

Hold this invitation.  Embrace and embody this invitation.  And, as always, I would love to talk to you more about the places where this sets your soul stirring.  We can also talk about the people/places where you struggle to let St. Francis’ words be born in you.  To be sure, there are people I am thinking about right now I am not sure I can carry Christ’s love to.  Yet, I pray for God to soften my heart and strengthen my soul to let the Spirit of Christmas, God-in-the-flesh, guide me this first full week of 2022 – and into every week to come.  May it be so for you and me.  Amen.