by Donnie Yance
“Many people die with their music still in them. Why is this so? Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out.”
– Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
At Christmas, we remember that the great Symbol of symbols is the Christ Child born in a stable. Can we let go of the false self, false maturity, and false ego we’ve constructed over a lifetime? We’ve allowed ourselves to believe in an illusion about the world and ourselves, and in the end, we must admit we’ve often deceived ourselves.
As Christ said in John chapter 12, “I tell you the truth, said the righteous one: a grain of wheat remains alone unless it falls into the ground and dies. But if it dies, it produces many grains. Whoever wants to serve me must follow me, so that my servants will be where I am. My Father will honor whoever serves me.”
This is what Saint Paul meant when he wrote to the Ephesians: “your hearts and minds must be made completely new. You must put on the new self, created in God’s likeness, revealing itself in true life that is upright and holy.” (Ephesians 4:23–24 paraphrased)
When you plant a grain of wheat, it does not sprout unless it dies. Einstein called this new rebirth of oneness “cosmic religious feeling.”
The 13th century Christian philosopher and mystic, Meister Eckrhart, said:
“Man has many skins in himself, covering the depths of his heart.
Man knows so many things, but he does not know himself.
Why, 30 or 40 skins or hides, just like an ox’s or bear’s, so thick and hard, cover the soul. Go into your own ground and learn to know yourself there.”
Deep within every human heart lies a persistent desire for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, chastity, gentleness, and faith. This is the fruit of the human spirit and God’s Spirit, found only when we release the false self of desire and illusion through the Cross of Christ (Gal. 5:22-25). This deeper desire cannot fade, for we are created in God’s image. But we’ve so often covered up the spirit within or drowned out its quiet voice beneath the constant noise of modern consumerism and materialism.
It’s time to let that child’s voice be fully heard and emerge into the daylight of our lives once more. This is the gift of rebirth through Christ.
Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount, where we find the Beatitudes, that external answers alone aren’t enough. We must look deeper within—at the human heart, mind, and soul. Do conflicting thoughts and emotions arise in response to conflicts in our lives? If so, we cannot truly be peacemakers. Saint Francis reminds us that we must have peace in our own hearts before we can share it with the world.
When we face conflict, we must seek solutions through dialogue and understanding. We must “seek to understand, rather than to be understood.” We should develop a greater perspective, looking at situations from all angles rather than only our own point of view.
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has opened for us.”
– Helen Keller
When we “let go, and let God,” He does! Then we can begin to live in the innocence that God created us to be in the first place. As Jesus says, to enter the kingdom, we must change and become like little children again. We must be reborn. The little Christ Child in the manger symbolizes this for all of us—the beautiful truth of our original humanity in God. If we’re truly ready to change, and follow the Way, the Truth, and the Light, we’ll find Him there.
Can we find the answer to lasting peace in a Child born into a region that now embodies so much of what is complex and violent (seemingly beyond resolution) in our world?
Only when we look with faith can we find Him there.
The way to solve the problems of our world begins within our own hearts. Once God touches us there, we can truly make a difference in our families, communities, workplaces, and friendships. As we experience the peace of family, community, and friends during this holy time, let us not forget those who suffer.
“All revelation which does not give hope is useless and superfluous.”
― Valentin Tomberg
Let us pray and act in ways that make us part of the solution, rather than perpetuating the very problems we seek to address. Only then do we understand the REAL meaning of Christmas. Only then do we truly “put Christ back into Christmas.” Only then can we celebrate a Christmas with deeper meaning for all people, regardless of faith. To put Christ back in Christmas is simply to make it your mission to respond to everything by bringing love and goodness. Where there is love and goodness, Christ is present. Where there is Christ, there is love and goodness.
So let us discover the divine Light within ourselves—that sacred spark of love and compassion—and become radiant beacons who illuminate the lives of those closest to us, transforming our immediate world one heartfelt connection at a time.
Blessings and Joy This Christmas and Always,
Donnie
