Dear Friends;
The title of my Christmas message this year and part of the content contained herein comes from a pamphlet I received from the Pecos Monastery in New Mexico, written by Brother Daniel Stramara, O.S.B.
With all of the technological advances during the past decade, many of which have lead people to believe, if we have the right data and verifiable facts, they can accomplish anything and therefore the joy of mystery has been removed from our everyday living. What is mystery? Mystery is that which is partially hidden, partially revealed. It calls for a mature acceptance of reality, the ability to be at home with the unknown and constantly changing aspects of life. That’s why one of the truly great scientists, Albert Einstein, made the observation by asking the question; "can you accept the mysterious in your life?" and went on to say; " he who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe is as good as dead, his eyes are closed."
Growing up on a farm I can recall the sense of wonder we experienced when we had the first snowfall of the season. The whole countryside seemed to be transformed into something new. I can also recall walking three miles to our country one room school in the evening to practice for a Christmas play and the sheer joy we experienced in just being together with friends, walking through the snow on a moonlit night where everything around seemed to say, ‘behold the mystery of life.’
Somehow through this adult world of enlightenment and knowledge we have lost the childlike ability to marvel at the wonder of creation and the beauty that surrounds us. However, it is my feeling that we have lost more than the sense of mystery. Anyone who has ever been a parent knows the rapturous feeling of taking the role in the creation of a new life and seeing it come to fruition. While we now know more of the medical and scientific data about conception and the time spent in the womb, even the encoding of physical traits in the DNA is a biological wonder. We fail to celebrate that every cell, organ and bone comes from just two cells no bigger than a pinpoint, but most amazing of all, God (Jesus) who became flesh to dwell among us, submitted to the dynamics of the human process. This indeed should be cause for everyone to celebrate the Joy of Mystery.
Each of our lives consists of paradox seemingly contradictive. We need to embrace the mystery of life, because none of us have it all together. Life is a process of becoming comfortable with the unknown, therefore, we need to explore ourselves and relish the wonder of it all. The psalmist in Psalm 139 was led to write, "it was you who created my inmost self and put me together in my mother’s womb, for all of these mysteries I thank you for the wonder of myself, for the wonder of your works."
This year as we come to celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation, perhaps it would be good for all of us to take time to ponder the mystery of our own life and then celebrate in a new way the fact that everything we have is "gift" and when we reveal and unwrap that gift of ourselves to the people we meet along life’s path, we celebrate the mystery of life itself.
