[As we approach the great Solemnity of Our Lord's Birth, enjoy one final Retreat Box reflection before the close of Advent]

O Come, Emmanuel! For many weeks we have raised our voices with this petition. But I, Lord, what do I think when I say these words? – how I would love, and do long, for a new Christmas, a new moment of Your birth, to be taken back to that moment when You were born to us. O, my Lord, how those last words now sting, as I long for You!: “born to us.” To us! Your coming was in order to come to us, in order to bless us, in order to show us the meaning of our lives, and to turn us away from our distracting pursuits. How I long to be one of those shepherds who beheld the Eternal King as a tiny, innocent Baby; to be one of those Wise Men who left everything to pursue the sign they discerned in the heavens, and whose dreams were fulfilled as they beheld You in the manger. O, to hear those angels who paved the way for You by proclaiming the glory of God to the simple and the humble!

But I, here am I, in this busy and noisy world. If the angels sang in this age, I do not think I would hear them! The world is noisy and busy, and I am noisy and busy. What is the singing of an angel to the chiming of my phone and the blaring of my music! What is the Star of Bethlehem to the glow of our televisions! We are indoors so much that I would never even see a great Star even were it to appear!

And what does this mean for us? Have You left us to our own amusements, since it seems that we are not that interested in what You would like to do? In what ways are You calling us to behold Your birth? Is Christmas just about remembering a beautiful event two thousand years ago, or…is it possible…can we “go back” and see it ourselves? You are outside of time, and, it would seem, You could make our celebration of Christmas so real that it could even feel like we are celebrating the very first Christmas, and the literal moment of Your birth, with all of its wonder and joy! Is that possible? If so, my, what a wonderful expression of love! Now that I consider it, this seems quite fitting to how the Church teaches that You love us – why would You not do something so wonderful as to draw us back to that historical moment and let us behold the Star, the Angels, the joy and the wonder, for ourselves!

Let me, O Lord, live these days of Christmas with the joy, excitement, and wonder which filled and captivated the shepherds and the wise men, which stirred them for days and weeks and months and years, after that fateful day when Heaven shined upon them! “Let the Heavens rain down the Just One, and let the earth bring forth a Savior!” O God, who became man, visit us and let us see Your beauty and Your loveliness.

[Please stop by the store for gifts to send or enjoy during the Christmas Season https://www.theretreatbox.com/collections/all]