Christmas Message
As we enjoy the holidays, we may be yearning for a deeper experience in our celebrations. It’s not that we have to celebrate any differently or change family traditions, but we can hold a new purpose in our hearts. The following thoughts from Course in Miracles are offered for the upcoming observances to provide a deepening guide.
Christmas
Christmas is one of the two holidays the Course actually addresses (the other being Easter). The Course tells us that:
“The sign of Christmas is a star, a light in darkness. See it not outside yourself, but shining in the Heaven within, and accept it as the sign the time of Christ has come.” (T-15.XI.2)
This is a beautiful thought, but have any of us truly accepted the time of Christ that God is holding out to us? Perhaps we don’t understand the conditions. According to the Course, the time of Christ means there is no sacrifice asked of us; there is no loss. Love must be total in our hearts. We must see our fears for what they are and release them because they are illusions that hold no value to us and actually cost us the awareness of Christ. We must invite Christ in (and truly want Him there) and thereby see He is there already, for He never could have left.
You may say, “Well, I think I’ve done this.” But the question is: Have you done this for all of God’s children? Is there anyone you have left out of your circle of love? For if you have, you have left yourself out and thereby missed the meaning of Christmas.
Now, as we search our minds for those who provide our greatest challenges (be they personal relationships or global ones), let us not feel overwhelmed by all the areas that still need healing. Remember, our Higher Power is not limited by our limits or limited thinking, nor has He ever left us alone. The moment we ask for His Help, it is there. It is time we become aware of His Help by being willing to allow the Prince of Peace to be born to us this Christmas. Let us bring to mind those with whom we have even the slightest irritation and invite the Christ to be born in these relationships. Here is how the Course invites us to awaken to the Christ in our lives:
I give you to the Holy Spirit as part of myself. I know that you will be released, unless I want to use you to imprison myself. In the name of my freedom I choose your release, because I recognize that we will be released together.
So will the year begin in joy and freedom. There is much to do, and we have been long delayed. Accept the holy instant as this year is born, and take your place, so long left unfulfilled, in the Great Awakening. Make this year different by making it all the same. And let all your relationships be made holy for you. This is our will. Amen.” (T-15.XI.10)
No matter the holiday or season, may we take assurance in knowing that we are always cared for and supported in even our smallest attempts for healing and joining. As we are told in A Course in Miracles.
Blessings, Don
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