It was a time like this,
War & tumult of war,
a horror in the air.
Hungry yawned the abyss-
and yet there came the star
and the child most wonderfully there.
It was time like this
of fear & lust for power,
license & greed and blight-
and yet the Prince of bliss
came into the darkest hour
in quiet & silent light.
And in a time like this
how celebrate his birth
when all things fall apart?
Ah! Wonderful it is
with no room on the earth
the stable is our heart.
by Madeleine L’Engle
Normally I love the season of Advent, a time of prayerful preparation leading up to Christmas. Unlike the more secular emphasis on consumerism and spectacle this time of year, Advent invites us into a period of reflection, a time for contemplation and personal introspection. We light simple candles on a wreath, read daily devotions and meditations, and practice acts of charity and kindness. What’s there not to love about such a season.
However, this particular Advent I find myself struggling mightily to keep the spirit of the season. I am saddened reading the news each day as tragedy and catastrophe fill the headlines.
I listen to students who carry deep and heavy burdens and for whom going home for the holidays is dreaded rather than embraced. I recognize within my own heart a tendency to be petty and critical, judgmental and cynical rather than open and loving, caring and forgiving.
And yet, and yet . . . something within me refuses to let the darkness of this time overshadow the light that still flickers within. Like the two candles currently lit on the Advent wreath on our kitchen table, there are still signs of hope around me. To borrow the image from Madeleine L’Engle’s poem, I see that many people are creating a stable within their hearts in order to welcome the Prince of Peace once again into their lives and into our world.
For me, some recent signs of hope include the decision by the Army Corps of Engineers to stop construction of an oil pipeline on the sacred ground of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation after months of peaceful protests. Veterans groups joined the movement and asked forgiveness of the indigenous people for crimes committed against them throughout history. http://www.denverpost.com/2016/12/05/photos-standing-rock-native-americans-veterans/
Closer to home I find hope as I witness students serving those in need during one of the most busy and stressful times of the semester. I am inspired by Resident Assistants waking up before dawn to serve breakfast at the Salvation Army. I am encouraged by Bonner Leaders who presented a Christmas show with Puppets Alamode to allow individuals with intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities the opportunity to be creative through music and the arts.
I challenge all of us to not only look for flickers of hope around us during this time of year, but to be those flames of hope and encouragement for those around us. In thought, word and deed may we recognize that the stable waiting for the Prince of Peace to arrive can be found within each human heart.
Peace, Anne