Let Joy Rise! A Reflection on the Nativity of Our Lord
Michael Corsini’s The Nativity
Image used with permission of the artist.
May the Lord’s love and peace be with you, my fellow Life Giving Wounds brothers and sisters!
Christmas is upon us, the moment when God comes close and makes His home with us. Emannuel…God with us! Jesus Christ comes to dwell among us, living in our hearts and souls. So at this moment, in the darkness of the night, we search for the Light of the world! O’ Come Emmanuel. Come!
In every heart, there is a deep, aching desire to belong, to be welcomed, and to be seen, heard, and loved as we are. Henri Nouwen is attributed as having said, “Our spiritual life is a long journey toward the home of the Father,” a home we glimpse whenever we risk and give love, forgiveness, and live in community. It is that home where God dwells and where we discover that we are the beloved. And, at this Christ-moment of Christmas, we are invited to reflect on what it truly means to long for home in God.
With that expressed, I gift my story to you…
Last year I participated in a nine-month prayer retreat using the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. It was a beautiful and grace-filled experience. I learned many new ways to pray, one of which was imaginative prayer. Father Kevin O’Brien, SJ writes about this type of prayer in his text The Ignatian Adventure:
St. Ignatius was convinced that God can speak to us as surely through our imagination as through our thoughts and memories. In the Ignatian tradition, praying with the imagination is called contemplation, which is a very active way of praying that engages the mind and heart. Through the act of contemplation, the Holy Spirit makes present a mystery of Jesus’ life in a way that is meaningful for you now. (page 145)
Father O’Brien further instructs on this prayer method:
After reading the Gospel, lose yourself in the story. At some point, place yourself in the scene or imagine yourself as a particular character within the scene. To begin the imaginative prayer, become aware of the Gospel scene using your five senses. Allow yourself to enter the scene and dig deeper into the story so that God may communicate with you in a personal evocative way. (page 145)
During Advent, the Spiritual Exercises focus on the many Gospel readings of Mary and Joseph and the nativity of our Lord. I contemplated during Advent much about their long arduous journey where they were accompanied by a donkey. Although not mentioned in the Gospels of the nativity, it is highly likely that the carpenter Joseph would have owned a donkey for both professional and personal use. Furthermore, it is highly plausible that Joseph had built a wooden cart, which was pulled by the donkey to carry the very pregnant Mary on their journey to Bethlehem. I imagined that Mary and Joseph planned for a long trip away from their home in Nazareth and packed accordingly. For those of you who have camped, think of the amount of gear you would need to take on this journey?! It was not any different for Mary and Joseph.
From Nazareth to Bethlehem, in a slow pace to accommodate a nearly nine-month pregnant Mary, historians speculate that the eighty-five mile journey would have taken them seven to ten days. Historians also speculate that their likely planned route would have taken them along the Jordan River and up the steep and rocky climb through the Judean Hills where Jerusalem is located, concluding their journey in the outskirt town of Bethlehem. While traveling along the Jordan River, they would have had fresh water and the ability to forage for plant foods, trap small animals, and fish in the river. Safe shelter could have been found for camping and firewood could have been gathered.
During Advent, one of the Spiritual Exercises includes reading the nativity story in the Gospel, Luke 2: 1-19. The scene is the birth of Jesus. This is where I used the imaginative prayer method. I entered the Nativity scene and chose to be the faithful donkey to Mary and Joseph. I was resting in the stable while witnessing Joseph in a flurry of activity of cleaning and preparing the stable for laboring Mary to give birth at any moment. Mary was sitting on a blanket on the ground and was struggling with the final stage of labor. Joseph knelt beside Mary and assisted her as she gave birth to baby Jesus. Joseph held the newborn and then handed the baby to Mary. Mary wrapped the infant in a blanket she had brought and was trying to keep him warm. She was exhausted from the delivery and wanted to sleep. I noticed that it was at night, it was cold, and the wind was blowing through the small open stable. I decided to walk over and lay down next to her to keep her and the baby warm with my body heat. She looked over at me with a sleepy face and then reached over and touched my cheek and gave me a few loving pats and said, “Good boy. Good boy.” Then she closed her eyes and fell asleep. I looked over at the sleeping baby in her arms and gazed at his tiny, sweet face. He was so small. I then looked up at Joseph, who was back cleaning the stable. He had delivered the baby and had blood on the sleeves of his tunic. I noticed how sparse the stable was and did not see any water. The prayer came to its completion.
I so enjoyed this prayer experience, that I decided to re-enter the prayer the following day; perhaps I would see or experience something else. As I entered the prayer and visualized the scene, I noticed I had a different vantage point. I was not the donkey, but rather, I was myself as a witness. I could see the donkey lying next to Mary and baby Jesus sleeping. This time I was more focused on Joseph. What is he doing? I sensed the worry and anxiety going through his mind with all that lay before him. He needed lodging, food, water, and blankets. It was cold. Looking up to Father God, he held out his two hands and began to silently pray. He asked Father God to please help them. So far from the safety of home, Joseph felt as though he were a failure for having brought Mary and Jesus to this dirty, smelly little hovel.
God said, “Do not worry Joseph. Everything is as it should be.”
Joseph felt relief that God’s grace was upon them. He then took off his cloak, covered Mary and the baby with it, and laid down next to them to keep them warm and shield them from the wind. Utterly exhausted, he fell asleep. The prayer came to its completion.
In reflection on this prayer, I am keenly aware that I had witnessed an extremely holy and intimate moment with the Holy Family. After the arduous journey and the chaos and desperation of Bethlehem, concluding with the delivery and vulnerability of the birth of Jesus, the three of them were finally experiencing their first moments as a family in peace. Father God had assured them; all that they needed was already there…HIS PRESENCE. There in this humble stall, they were physically embracing the infant Lord…Emannuel…God with us.
What grace was given to me to be included in this holy moment!… as if I was a member of this family… but wait… I, as well as you, are members of the Holy Family! We are the children, the beloved sons and daughters, of Father God!
In absolute awe, I gave praise of immense gratitude to Father God, Jesus, Mary, Joseph… and the donkey!
God said, “Do not worry Joseph. Everything is as it should be.”
Contemplate the above sentence…
It is here, in the humble stable, that Father God chose to begin the beautiful human life of His only Son Jesus Christ. From Jesus’ humble human birth, we are reminded that we are truly HOME in the loving and merciful eternal embrace of the Father, dwelling with the Word made flesh, heated by the Holy Spirit, hunger satiated by the Eucharist, thirst quenched by the Cup of His Divine Mercy, and trusting that we are always cared for by our mercifully loving Father.
For adult children of divorce, the word “HOME” may conjure many emotions—both good and bad. We lost home at some point in our youth, as well as the innocence that resided there. But home is not merely a physical place, but a spiritual reality. If we ask ourselves, “What is our definition of home?”, would you agree that home is the place where both father and mother, with siblings, dwell and share a beautiful circle of familial love? But the wound that we commonly share may have distorted our image of “Father” and “Mother,” and this distortion may have been transferred to God the Father and Mother Mary. But from the beginning of creation, the Father’s intention was to welcome the human creature into a loving familial communion with Him, where we would, in love, feel, see, hear and always know HIS PRESENCE. God’s desire for us is in a loving family with Him! His loving familial communion is offered to us now. The Father is our first parent; it is he who loved us first. Father God gave us to our biological parents who are our second parents; they are our second love.
In the Bible, the Father says to us, “I have called you by name, you are mine,” (Isaiah 43:1-2). As baptized Christians, we are included in the Trinitarian circle of love through the power of the Holy Spirit. Imagine that… the power that created the universe dwells within you! This is what the Lord is calling you back to - your true HOME IN HIM!
At this Christ-moment, as we wait for the infant Jesus to be born in the mangers of our hearts, let the love of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit fill you—LET THE JOY RISE! Put aside whatever inflicts you; LET THE JOY RISE! We are the Body of Christ! Praise the Lord! LET THE JOY RISE AND OVERFLOW!
WELCOME HOME!
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. (John 1:9-13)
May Christmas be a sacred moment of belonging and joy for you and your families.
My love and blessing to all of you. Shalom!
Teresa
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus,
You chose to come dwell among us as a small, vulnerable and helpless child.
Sent by the Father to your mother Mary and her betrothed husband,
Joseph, where they held and loved you in their protective Holy Family
arms; graced fully by the Father. Such an unfathomable task for
a tiny baby; to love, heal and redeem the world; yet that is what you did.
Dear Lord Jesus,
Please dwell within me, in the center of my being, in the place where
I am small, vulnerable and helpless. May I feel your loving and
healing presence now and always.
Dear Lord Jesus,
Increase in me faith and trust in you that will continue to grow
throughout my life. Teach me. Guide me. Raise me up in your joy and peace.
May I always feel and know your Holy Presence.
Dear Lord Jesus,
I ask this of you, in your name.
Amen.
About the Author
Teresa attended the Life Giving Wounds retreat in 2022. In 2025, she joined the Life Giving Wounds San Francisco Chapter’s Leadership Team, which she finds miraculous to witness. When the Holy Spirit inspires Teresa, she writes articles for this blog in hope that the words provide a healing touch to the reader’s spirit. Teresa’s career was in commercial photography; she now enjoys photographing just for herself. She is also a published book and editorial author. Teresa lives in California with her husband and has one adult son. She enjoys hiking weekly the beautiful mountains in her home state where she meets God on the mountain top. She also enjoys kayaking, boating, skiing, traveling, reading, gardening and cooking for her family and friends. Teresa loves to laugh and find joy in the small things in life.
Reflection Questions for Small Groups or Individuals:
Take five minutes to place yourself in the Nativity story like Teresa did, in your own imaginative prayer. Journal about that experience for another five minutes. What did you experience that is new to you?
What is your definition of home?
Teresa’s article speaks of Father God’s original familial intent for humanity. How does your definition of “Home” differ from God’s original intent?
Teresa’s article speaks of redefining our parenthood: Father God as our first parent and love and our birth parents our second parents and love. How does this statement challenge or change your feelings about your parents?
If you redefine Father God as your first parent and yourself as His beloved son or daughter, how does that change your identity as a child of divorced parents?
What surprising or challenging thoughts of “Home” and/or “Identity” arise in you?
Does God’s definition of “Home” and/or “Identity” inspire you to redefine your definitions?
Are you inspired to bring these new definitions to prayer to Jesus Christ?
If Teresa’s article inspired you to deeper prayer, we invite you to visit our Prayers page of the website or read other blog articles that discuss prayer, a common tag on our blog index.
Lastly, consider joining a Life-Giving Wounds retreat or support group next year. You do not have to carry the darkness alone.
Together, we can walk into the light.