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Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation

From the Center for Action and Contemplation

Week Forty-nine

Giving Birth to Christ

Receiving the Gift
Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Why, from the earliest centuries, have Christian people been so excited about Mary? What’s happening in the depths of our soul when we hear her story? Surely it must be about more than the miracle of the virgin birth. As Benedictine oblate, author, and poet Kathleen Norris shares, Mary’s “virginity” has less to do with biology than with her stance towards God and life itself.

It’s in the monastic world that I find a broader and also more relevant grasp of what it could mean to be virgin. Thomas Merton, in Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, describes the true identity that he seeks in contemplative prayer as a “point vierge” [virgin point] at the center of his being, “a point untouched [by sin and] by illusion, a point of pure truth . . . which belongs entirely to God. . . .” [1]

It is only when we stop idolizing the illusion of our control over the events of life and recognize our poverty that we become virgin in the sense that Merton means. . . . We all need to be told that God loves us, and the mystery of the Annunciation reveals an aspect of that love. But it also suggests that our response to this love is critical. A few verses before the angel appears to Mary in the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel, another annunciation occurs; an angel announces to an old man, Zechariah, that his equally aged wife is to bear a son who will “make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” The couple are to name him John; he is known to us as John the Baptist [Luke 1:11–18]. Zechariah says to the angel, “How will I know that this is so?” which is a radically different response from the one Mary makes. She says, “How can this be?”

I interpret this to mean that while Zechariah is seeking knowledge and information, Mary contents herself with wisdom. . . . Mary’s “How can this be?” is a simpler response than Zechariah’s, and also more profound. She does not lose her voice but finds it. Like any of the prophets, she asserts herself before God, saying, “Here am I.” . . . Mary proceeds—as we must do in life—making her commitment without knowing much about what it will entail or where it will lead. I treasure the story because it forces me to ask: When the mystery of God’s love breaks through into my consciousness, do I run from it? . . . Or am I virgin enough to respond from my deepest, truest self, and say something new, a “yes” that will change me forever? [2]

If Jesus is the representative of the total givenness of God to creation, then perhaps Mary is the representative of humanity, showing us how the gift is received. And I believe that is why we love Mary. She’s a stand in for all of us. When we can say, like her, “Let it be,” then we’re truly ready for Christmas.

After further reflection, the Daily Meditations editorial team has decided to substitute a new image for this week's theme. In our original choice, Mary appears white and is in the center of the image, while the two women adjacent to her are black. We recognize the historic centering of whiteness in Western art and religion, and we strive to use images in the Daily Meditations that disrupt this legacy. Together, we are developing, growing, and changing for the good—towards an ever more inclusive love in Christ. (The Universal Christ, 95)​

Gateway to Action & Contemplation:
What word or phrase resonates with or challenges me? What sensations do I notice in my body? What is mine to do?

Prayer for Our Community:
O Great Love, thank you for living and loving in us and through us. May all that we do flow from our deep connection with you and all beings. Help us become a community that vulnerably shares each other’s burdens and the weight of glory. Listen to our hearts’ longings for the healing of our world. [Please add your own intentions.] . . . Knowing you are hearing us better than we are speaking, we offer these prayers in all the holy names of God, amen.

Listen to Fr. Richard read the prayer.

Story from Our Community:
I am a United Methodist pastor and . . . when the pandemic started . . . I started sharing the [Daily Meditations] online in our private Facebook group Monday - Friday. I could not have imagined how life-giving sharing these meditations would be. In a year of so much loss, these daily readings have helped us find comfort, given us strength to make hard decisions, and bound us together in a web of love. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and love with so many. It has made this year bearable. Thank you. —Jen S.

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[1] Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander (Image Books: 1968), 158.

[2] Kathleen Norris, Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith (Riverhead Books: 1999), 74, 75, 76–77.

Adapted from Richard Rohr, “Mary is Our ‘Let It Be!’,” homily (December 21,2014).

Image credit: Abiding Love (detail of triptych), Janet McKenzie, copyright © 2019. https://www.janetmckenzie.com/

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News from the CAC

The Universal Christ: A Companion Guide for Individuals

Deepen your experience of the Universal Christ in this season when Christians are reminded of how all creation reveals the Spirit and love of God. Using reflections, journaling opportunities, Lectio practices, contemplative sits, and other exercises, this guide provides multiple points of engagement with each chapter of Richard Rohr’s book, The Universal Christ: How a Forgotten Reality Can Change Everything We See, Hope For, and Believe.

ONEING: Order, Disorder, Reorder

Mother Mary's life is an example of how we can receive spiritual wisdom in this time of disorder. Explore the pattern of reality and discover your role in the reorder—the resurrection—by receiving the gift of God's healing love for yourself and others. The fall issue of ONEING: Order, Disorder, Reorder is a must-read for these tumultuous and troubled times.

Action & Contemplation

2020 Daily Meditations Theme

What does God ask of us? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God. —Micah 6:8

Franciscan Richard Rohr founded the Center for Action and Contemplation in 1987 because he saw a deep need for the integration of both action and contemplation. If we pray but don’t act justly, our faith won’t bear fruit. And without contemplation, activists burn out and even well-intended actions can cause more harm than good. In today’s religious, environmental, and political climate our compassionate engagement is urgent and vital.

In this year’s Daily Meditations, Father Richard helps us learn the dance of action and contemplation. Each week builds on previous topics, but you can join at any time! Click the video to learn more about the theme and to find reflections you may have missed.

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Inspiration for this week's banner image: Mary could trustingly carry Jesus, because she knew how to receive spiritual gifts, in fact the spiritual gift. She offers a profound image of how generativity and fruitfulness break into this world. We have much to learn from her. —Richard Rohr