A Story of Searching and Discovery

The following reflection by Jim Boyd, CSJ Associate, is excerpted from Winter’s Wisdom: Advent 2008 (Congregation of St, Joseph, La Grange Park, IL, 2008):

The Christmas event in Bethlehem, as described by Luke, is a story of searching and discovery. Joseph looking for a place to stay, the magi discovering a star, Mary looking deep into her heart, shepherds discovering what was announced and promised to them.

A very wise woman once told me that Christmas is different every year. Or put another way, each Christmas we celebrate will never be quite the same again. This notion seems at odds with the age-old story and rich tradition that surrounds this holy day. But something new and different does, and will, emerge every passing year that re-defines the Incarnation in our lives. We need to stay awake and be ready to welcome what is being birthed in us this year.

Peace and Happy Christmas!

Image: “The Holy Family” by Janet McKenzie. Oil on canvas, 42 x 54 inches. Collection of Loyola School, New York, NY. (To read an insightful commentary on this work of art, click here.)

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
Clarity and Hope: A Christmas Reflection
What We Can Learn from the Story of the Magi
A Christmas Reflection by James Carroll