Tag: The Magi’s Journey

The Eyes of Jesus, by John O’Donohue I imagine the eyes of JesusWere harvest brown,The light of their gazingSuffused with the seasons: The shadow of winter,The mind of spring,The blues of summer,And amber of harvest. A gaze that is perfect sisterTo the kindness that dwellsIn his beautiful hands. The eyes of Jesus gaze on us,Stirring… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/30/23

The Ongoing Work of God “It is not simply the birth of the Child that the season celebrates; it is the awareness of the ongoing work of God within Him, the foundation of our own hope for liberation that marks our lives and lifts our hearts.” The remaining Christmas season includes several feast days that… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/29/23

Old Maps “No, they would not be going back through Jerusalem, they said. All three of them had had a dream that said steer clear of Jerusalem, as if they needed to be told. If anyone in Jerusalem knew anything at all they would be here instead of there. Besides, none of their old maps… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/28/23

Bringing Christmas into the New Year “The Christmas season, if we see it as a whole rather than as an isolated event (and, in our age, a totally distorted and even misleading conception of the feast) can ignite the spark that will lead us through the darkness of our own lives every day of the… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/27/23

God-With-Us With the birth of Jesus, everything we thought we knew about God changes. God isn’t “up there” in heaven, watching us from a distance. God is with us. And that changes everything. “It was God-With-Us. Not the God-Up-There somewhere who answers our prayers by lifting us out of our lives, but the God who… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/26/23

Merry Christmas! “Any of us who prayed to be transported into God’s presence this Christmas will get our wish – only not, perhaps, in the way we had thought. None of heavens escalators are going up tonight. Everybody up there is coming down tonight, right here, right into our own Bethlehem, bringing us the God… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/25/23

After reaching their destination, finding Jesus, and presenting their gifts to honor him, the Magi went home another way. The Magi, wise men, paid attention to what came to them in a dream. They continued to trust the signs that had guided them and followed their dream warning just like they had followed the star.… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/24/23

On Waking, by John O’Donohue I give thanks for arrivingSafely in a new dawn,For the gift of eyeTo see the world,The gift of mindTo feel at homeIn my life.The waves of possibilityBreaking on the shore of dawn,The harvest of the pastThat awaits my hunger,And all the furtheringsThis new day will bring. Footnotes

Gifts For Jesus? You have undoubtedly spent time thinking about, planning, procuring, wrapping, and delivering gifts to family or friends this Christmas season. Your gifts may have included spending time together, cooking/baking, or praying special intentions for them. Have you done anything like this for Jesus? My spiritual director often needs to remind me (usually… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/22/23

Welcoming Strangers Another tradition associated with Epiphany and the Magi is the welcoming of strangers. The Magi showed up unannounced, presumably shortly after the birth, and in a location where I’m sure Mary wasn’t expecting to entertain visitors. I doubt that I would have been as gracious as Mary was to have exotic visitors from… Continue reading Advent 2023- 12/21/23