Pause+Pray

Before the angels sing, before the shepherds kneel, there is silence. Christmas Eve invites us to stop and breathe in the holy stillness.

St. Teresa of Avila writes, “The important thing is to not think much but to love much.”  What do you feel when you read these words? 

The first to hear of Jesus’ birth are not priests, scribes, or emperors, but humble shepherds—ordinary people.

The beauty of the Incarnation is this: the God who created galaxies chose to dwell among us. Emmanuel means “God with us”—not just beside us, but within and around us.

The Holy Family knew the hardship of being refugees, outsiders dependent on the kindness and generosity of others. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus—in this sense—are icons of the refugee, orphaned from their homeland, a new Israel.

How often are you surrounding yourself with noise? Do you allow yourself the time necessary to call God to mind with silence and solitude?