Third Day of Christmas

 

         It’s the third day of Christmas and, finally, there’s fresh snow on the ground in central Minnesota.  December’s been a hectic and wonderful time of travel - in New Zealand for much of the month and a whirlwind of celebrations with family and loved ones these last few days.

 

         For me, Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ Consciousness, the realization that, along with our uniqueness, we are all one - each of us is inseparable from God, from each other and the entire universe.  Oneness, along with the invitation to love, is central to the teaching of Jesus. 

 

         I don’t know when Jesus came to the realization of oneness or when the idea integrated so deeply into his being that it informed his identity and his view of us.  I assume he wasn’t born with it.  And so, for me, the days after Christmas are especially important.  The day itself reminds us we are one.  The following days invite us to realize that beautiful idea, to make it real, to let it sink into the marrow of our bones and into the lives we live.

 

         When oneness is real, and not just an abstraction, we know in our hearts that no one goes hungry, no one is denied safe asylum, no one is harmed in any way without each of us being hurt.  So, too, every act of love on this planet lifts each of us.

 

         On this third day of Christmas, I'm invited to deepen my care - to enlarge my sense of family and to enlarge my heart.

 

         I wish you each a merry and joyful Christmas, all year long.