What’s the Christmas Gift that Lasts All Year?

After your heart rate slows to a tolerable level, the messenger from Heaven reports that you or your girlfriend are pregnant.

Not to worry, you didn’t do anything wrong. The Holy Spirit is the father. And the child? He will be the Savior of the universe.

“No problem. Let’s do it,” you might respond to this unexpected news.

But I doubt that’s how most of us would react. Instead, we’d be more likely to scratch our heads in disbelief and demand time and space to figure out what the heck is happening to us.

When the angel appeared to Mary and Joseph, my guess is while they both were faithful and “all in” to follow God’s will, they must have had lingering doubts and fears.  Scripture says that after the angel left her, Mary pondered all these things in her heart. She visited her aunt Elizabeth, seeking wise counsel and hoping for insight into God’s will for her.

After the angel visited Joseph, he still wasn’t sure what to do. This “good news” would disgrace his family and him. And, unless he quietly cut off their engagement, Mary would be stoned to death for violating Jewish law.

So, how did they do it? How did Mary and Joseph—amidst the uncertainty they must have faced, come to understand and embrace that their life’s journey—God’s will for them—was to birth and raise the child destined to model how to live as a perfect human? 

They made the inner journey home to their hearts—that childlike place of trust and peace—the place of inner refuge where they experienced God’s loving presence and divine guidance.

They sought within their sacred hearts the strength and conviction that led them to say “yes” to this mysterious path despite their doubts and fears.

What’s All the Buzz about Contemplation and Meditation?

Contemplation, also called meditation, has a long and rich history in the Christian and other traditions. According to Carl McColman in The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, after the death of Jesus and the passing of the first Christian community, the lifestyle that Mary, Joseph, and Jesus followed was called “The Way,” later known as the Christian Contemplative Tradition.

The Tradition evolved over time from the early practices of the first Christian communities. It’s described in the book of Acts, especially in Acts 2:42-47, where believers followed the contemplative path in their daily lives.

Following in the footsteps of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the early Christians were deeply devoted to prayer and sought a direct relationship with God. As Christianity spread and developed, various forms of contemplative prayer and meditation emerged.

Christian mystics (men and women who experience God’s presence in their lives) like the Desert Fathers and Mothers in the third and fourth centuries sought solitude in the desert to engage in intense prayer and meditation, emphasizing the inner journey towards union with God.

Throughout the centuries, other Christian mystics and contemplatives emerged, contributing unique insights and methods to deepen our relationship with the Divine.

Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Ávila, John of the Cross, and many others, wrote extensively and emphasized the importance of silence, inner stillness, and direct experience of God. They built on the foundations of the early Christians’ devotion and prayer life, contributing to the evolution of what we now recognize as the Contemplative Tradition. 

How’d We Lose It? How’s It Coming Back?

Somewhere in history, our faith became more intellectual and mind-based rather than heart-based and focused on the inner experience of God. As a result, the contemplative tradition was lost.

McColman suggests that as Western Christianity evolved, there was a shift in emphasis from contemplative and experiential spirituality to a more dogmatic and intellectual approach to faith. Theological disputes and a focus on doctrine overshadowed the contemplative dimension of Christianity.

Our thirst to directly experience God, however, was never lost. In recent times, as the world becomes louder and more complex there has been a revival of interest in contemplative practices within various Christian denominations, leading to a resurgence of this ancient tradition.

Today, many people are rediscovering the richness and depth of contemplative spirituality both within the Christian and non-Christian traditions. Seekers wanting to experience God instead of trying to think their way to God are rediscovering the contemplative path to open the door to their hearts and directly connect with the Creator. 

 This resurgence of interest in contemplative spirituality has been spearheaded by people like Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating, Thich Nhat Hahn, and others who’ve promoted practices such as centering prayer and meditation as ways to quiet our over-active minds and experience a direct relationship with God.

Having Coffee with the Creator

Thirty years ago, one of my teachers introduced me to the daily practice of meditation. I call it having coffee with the Creator. I get up early, pour myself and God a cup of coffee, go to my den, light a candle, and sit in the quiet for thirty minutes or more each day as I greet the dawn.

This daily quiet time has become the foundation for an ever-deepening relationship with God. I bring my joys, my problems, my fears, or whatever’s on my mind to the Creator during this morning solitude.

Somehow, the veil between heaven and earth parts. The Spirit whispers in my heart as I empty myself and listen for the voice of love to guide me.

Even if I don’t hear the voice of God during this time alone with the Creator, this daily quiet time lets me experience what Mother Teresa said about her daily meditation: “I look at God. God looks at me. And we are very happy.”

The Best Christmas Gift of All

This Christmas, perhaps the best gift you can give yourself is the daily practice of quiet time. You might call it meditation, contemplation, having coffee with the Creator, or walking in nature with God.

Whatever you call it, however it works best for you, give yourself the gift of setting aside daily time to be alone with the Creator.

Let your daily quiet time open your heart to an ever-deepening and direct relationship with the Source of your Being.

If you need a jumpstart for your practice, download the free Meditation Jump Starter by clicking on this link: Meditation Jump Starter

This Christmas, rediscover the ancient path of daily meditation for your life. Unwrap its gifts.

It’s the gift that lasts all year. 

 —brian j plachta
brianplachta.com

PS…

Come Home: A Guided Meditation for You.

As we celebrate Christmas, I invite you to InJoy the Guided Meditation called, Come Home.

Click on the link below to Come Home:

Come Home–A Guided Meditation

Merry Christmas from my heart to yours.
your friend in the Divine Flow,
brian