Contemplating the Incarnation

I come to the moment of Jesus Christ's conception in my humanity. As always, I enter into God's presence and feel His gaze rest on me, and I offer to Him my whole self. Then I do three things:

First, I remember the "history" that I am praying about: The Holy Trinity knows the whole world of humankind and sees how we are ravaging the earth, making life terrible for one another, and turning many of ourselves into ruins. Out of God's infinite and eternal love, the Father sends the Son down to enter into all this, to save it. And then they send the announcement to our Lady Mary.

Second, I compose myself, as I have done before, in this real world. I am utterly embedded in humanity and in all that goes on. And after seeing the whole of earth, I bring myself to Nazareth in Galilee, where Mary stays.

Third, I ask for what I want. What I want right now is a deep intimate knowledge of Jesus. I want a strong love for Him. And I want to follow where He goes.

Then I cover these three points in some way or other by fantasy, meditation, or contemplation - and after I have worked through them, I consider what it all means to me, to my life world, and to the whole of the human race.

First, I look at all the people on the earth ? races and ethnic groups; some at desks and some at wars; they laugh, play, weep, struggle; they are infants, grown, dying. I watch God watching all this, and I wonder what God feels. I see Mary staying in Nazareth.

Second, I listen to the riot of sounds - music and machines; friends chatting and enemies reviling; typewriters and hand grenades; mobs and riots. I listen to God's thoughts: "Let us save all these people... And I hear the announcement to Mary.

Third, I move into the frantic activities of earth speeding, constructing, fighting, playing, blowing up buildings, riding horses, flying jets, all too often destroying human life or the humanity in living persons. I see God working busily, initiating the Incarnation, laboring among humankind.
And I see the angel announce the message and Mary bow in acquiescence.

At the end, I will consider what I ought to say to God the Lord, or to Mary, or to Jesus, who now lives forever in my humanness. As I always do, I close with an Our Father.