Reflection for December 24
Arriving at Christmas
Something tells me
That to land fully before the manger,
I should
Go deeply,
Easily,
Slowly,
And daily embrace the quiet, meditative darkness
Of Advent.
Hopefully then,
Will the miracle birth of God himself,
Who comes in darkest night,
To the sweet, holy virgin,
In a cave outside Bethlehem,
Pierce my soul
With a star-beam of comprehension
So bright
That when I kneel,
I’ll have earned a shepherd’s heart,
Awestruck,
In joy-filled gratefulness.
Then these the only words
Fully making sense to speak:
Gloria. Gloria. Gloria
In excelsis Deo.
© MARY BETH RADKE, 2023