A Christmas Prayer for 2023
Christmas is a celebration of the coming of Jesus into our world. What world? The world of Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago, yes. But also into the world of today, 2023. And into the world of our own personal life–wherever we may be. Here is a little prayer-poem I wrote about 10 years ago. I first posted it on my blog for Christmas 2016. I’ve “tweaked” it here for 2023.
“Prayer for Divine Intrusion”
God of infinite love, come into my life. Please?
Take my hand, walk beside me, pat me on the back when I need it.
When I fall down, help me to get back up. And when I am on my “high horse,” help me to get back down.
Encourage me, inspire me, disarm me.
Broaden my vision. Expand my understanding. Remind me that I am a life-long learner.
Inflame my heart with love for all who enter the circle of my life–
those I am naturally drawn to and those I struggle with.
Listen to my cries, my sighs, my silence.
Say yes to me. Say no to me.
Feed me, need me. Hug me, bug me.
Give me the grace to say I’m sorry. Give me the grace to say I forgive.
Free me from the tendency to wrap around myself.
Enlarge my world. Direct my attention to things that really matter.
Give me ears to hear “the cries of the poor”:
those living in dire need, grave fear, chronic pain,
profound grief, and utter loneliness.
May I never become numb to the world’s pain.
Inspire me to find creative ways to bring more love and healing into our hurting world.
I know you love me as I am,
but keep nudging me to be a better version of who I already am.
Melt my coldness, smooth my rough edges.
Be with me, weep with me, dance with me, laugh with me.
Keep urging me to grow up. Keep urging me to be more childlike.
Bestow upon me an abundance of patience,
but never let me be completely satisfied with the way things are.
Deepen my trust in you. Increase my thirst for you.
I welcome you, Beloved Divine Intrusion,
to come into my life every day,
and into our beautiful and broken world.
Amen.
For reflection:
Are there any words or phrases in this prayer-poem that stand out for you this Christmas? Do you know why?
Did you find yourself anywhere in this prayer?
Would you ask our “Beloved Divine Intrusion” for anything else this Christmas?
P.S. #1: We had a problem with sending out last week’s post to my subscribers. When you clicked on your email alert, many of you got the message: “This page cannot be found.” We hope we corrected that glitch. But remember, you can always easily access my blog by using your search engine (like Google). Simply type in something like “Sunflower Seeds blog” or “Melannie Svoboda blog” and my blog should come up. Thank you again for your patience!
P.S. #2: I will NOT be posting a new blog next Monday, Christmas Day. I’m taking a little break. I will post my next blog on January 1, 2024. Until then, have a blessed Christmas season! And I’ll see you again in the New Year!
I’m offering two videos of “Silent Night” for you today. The first is the stark rendition by Simon & Garfunkel recorded in 1966. It’s called “The Seven O’clock News.” The duo sings the song while the news is being read in the background. The news is very soft at first, but then it grows louder. The juxtaposition of this ancient hymn and the raw news of the day in 1966 is sobering. The topics on the news are eerily familiar to us today: discrimination in housing, fatal drug overdoses, tensions in Washington, conflicts within congress, unending war, peace demonstrations turning violent, the mass murder of innocent people, and the relentless strivings of the Civil Rights movement. This unique version of the “Silent Night” highlights our need for Jesus to come into every time and every place.
The second “Silent Night” is a sweet rendition by Claire Ryann Crosby when she was only 4-years old. (She’s 11 now). For me, it is extra meaningful to hear this beloved hymn sung so movingly by a small child.
Simon and Garfunkel:
Claire Ryann Crosby:
Once again I invite you to leave a comment below–on the prayer-poem, the photos, or the videos…
The Pope’s Astronomer
Scripture tells us that some people followed a star to find Jesus, the Son of God. People today are still following the stars to discover God. Here’s the story of one of them.
Did you know the Pope has his own astronomer? In a way. His name is Brother Guy Consolmagno, a native of Detroit, a graduate of MIT with a Ph.D. in astronomy from the University of Arizona, a former member of the Peace Corps, a Jesuit, and the director of the Vatican Observatory. Established in 1582, the VO (as it is called) was first located within the walls of Vatican City. But when light pollution got too bad, the VO was moved to Castel Gandolfo, the former papal summer residence. Today most of the VO’s research is conducted 100 miles east of Tucson, Arizona on Mt. Graham, one of the best places in the world for astronomical observation.
You might be wondering, why does the Vatican operate an Observatory? What’s the connection between star gazing and religion? To answer that, I went to the VO website (a fascinating place to visit!) It states that the VO’s mission is to conduct “astronomical research and public outreach to advance the scientific understanding of the universe.” The underlying belief seems to be that by discovering more about the cosmos, we can expand and deepen our knowledge of and relationship with God.
Br. Guy was recently interviewed in the Winter 2023 issue of The Occasional Papers, the publication of the National Conference of Women Religious. Br. Guy maintains that one essential quality of the scientific mind is “staying open.” He says, “You can only stay open to new concepts when you recognize that there are many ways of seeing things and that you don’t have all the answers.” Learning something new is more exciting “than to just have your old prejudice reinforced.” To possess such openness, Br. Guy says, you must have what he calls arrogant humility. “You have to be humble enough to know that you don’t know something, and arrogant enough to think that you can learn something new.” (I think “staying open” is an essential quality for all kinds of “professions”: engineers, doctors, parents, teachers, politicians, law enforcement personnel, theologians, writers, etc. Don’t you?)
During the interview, Br. Guy was asked: “How is it for you to relate to a Divine Presence that is so incredibly expansive, yet so intimate with us?” He answered that question by sharing a story by a British journalist named Emma Townshend. When she was growing up she had a wonderfully close relationship with her dad. He traveled a lot, and when he returned, his family was always so happy to see him again. To Emma, her dad was a rock star. When she was about 11, she discovered that her dad was actually a real rock star, Peter Townshend, the lead guitarist in The Who. He was going out playing before millions of people all over the world. And yet, when he came home, he was her dad. Br. Guy sees a parallel with our relationship with God. He says, “God attends to me personally (as well as the other eight billion people on Earth and all the other beings in the multiverse, because that’s what you do when you are infinite); and God’s also the superstar who actually created all of this.”
Br. Guy was asked how he personally copes with the existence of evil. He said, “What I have learned from my life as an astronomer is that we need the dark to see the light of the stars–and we need a very dark sky to see the faintest of the stars. The temptation is to turn the night into day.” I thought, how true! Sometimes we need the darkness, the pain, the sorrow in our lives to perceive the light of goodness, beauty, and truth we might not have detected without the darkness.
At the end of the interview, Br. Guy welcomed the readers to visit the Vatican Observatory online: www.vaticanobservatory.org. He added, “We have an extensive library of videos and essays that link faith and science, and especially astronomy, that I would love for people to see.” So, consider this a personal invitation from the Pope’s very own Astronomer!
For reflection:
Is there anything in today’s reflection that caught your attention?
Do you think operating an Observatory is something the Church should or should not be doing? Why?
How would you answer that question posed to Br. Guy: “How do you personally cope with the existence of suffering?“
P.S. A friend of mine received this little Advent prayer from the Shalem Institute. She was surprised when she saw the author. I too was surprised when I saw the author!
May our slowing down this Advent
be our gentle protest against the violence of our rushing world.
May our slowing down give quiet, steady, witness to the values of
attentiveness, carefulness, patience, receptivity, stillness.
May our slowing down enable us to make real and meaningful connections
with people, nature, work, art and (most importantly)
with God.
Melannie Svoboda, SND
I’m offering two videos for you today. The first is an award winning video about Brother Guy and the Vatican Observatory entitled “The Pope’s Astronomer.” I found it fascinating–and it’s only 13.5 minutes long! I hope you’ll be able to “slow down” enough this Advent to enjoy it! The second video is a song “Majestic” by Aaron Shust. It is based on Psalm 8 and includes some breath-taking pictures of our star-studded night sky.
Meet Br. Guy Consolmagno in this informative and delightful video:
It’s easy to pray along with this song of praise…
Would you like to comment below about anything in today’s blog? Our readers really enjoy hearing from other readers!
A Stroll through the Zacchaeus Story
Today we’re going to take a stroll through the story of Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus, the tax collector. It is found in Luke 19:1-10. The story begins with this curious statement: Jesus intended to pass through the town (Jericho). So, even Jesus changed his plans sometimes. What made him change his plans here? We soon find out. It is a person. It is Zacchaeus. (We too probably change our plans mostly because of a person or persons, not so?)
Then Zacchaeus is introduced. We learn he is a tax collector. Although a Jew, he is in cahoots with the detested occupational forces, namely, the Romans. No wonder he is hated by his fellow Jews! And we learn he is not just any tax collector. He is a chief tax collector. He rose in the ranks. How? By being good at what he did. He collected those taxes for those Romans no matter what. No hard luck story would warm the cockles of his heart. He accepted no excuses. You paid what you owed or else! The Romans must have loved this guy!
(Confession: I’m getting tired of typing Zacchaeus! So I’m going to call him Zack.) Zack was short in stature. That genetic happenstance plays into the story. He came to see Jesus–probably out of curiosity–and because he’s short, he can’t see Jesus. And no one in that crowd is going to say to this pariah, “Oh, Zack! Come and stand here in front of me so you can see Jesus!” No. So quick-thinking Zack, the loner, scrambles up a nearby tree, a sycamore tree. (Scripture scholar Lee Magness says it was not an actual sycamore tree, but a fig tree. In Greek the word fig has the same lexical root as the word sukaphanies, meaning defrauder or extortioner–which Zack was when he climbed that tree!) The point is, by telling us what kind of tree it was, Luke “roots” this story in reality. This story happened in a real place (Jericho), with real people (Jesus and Zack), and with a real tree (a sycamore/fig). This is no fairy tale! (Here’s another thought: When you are “up a tree,” do you seek out Jesus? What about when you’re not up a tree? Do you still seek out Jesus? Good questions for Advent.)
As Jesus passes, he notices Zack perched in that tree. How could he miss him? I bet seeing him in that tree made Jesus smile. Then Jesus says, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” I could say something about every word in that sentence. But let me focus on these few. First, Jesus calls him by name. How did he know who he was? Probably the same way we all get to know people in our midst who are loners, shunned, not welcome in our circles. Jesus would have heard the rumors too. Zack’s bad reputation preceded him.
But Jesus looks up at Zack and tells him to come down quickly. He’s saying, “Come to me, Zack. I’d like to meet you eye-to-eye.” (Does Jesus say similar words to us?) Then Jesus adds, “for I must stay at you house.” Wow! The word must denotes an urgency. And talk about being forward! Jesus invites himself to dinner–and more. He invites himself into Zack’s house, that is, into his life. (Is Jesus doing the same for us? Do we welcome him into our whole house–or are there some “rooms” in our house that we have decided are “off limits” to Jesus? )
Zack scurries down that tree, brushes off his expensive robes, and proudly walks beside Jesus, leading him to his house. I picture the crowd stepping aside so this “odd couple” can pass by. I can hear them grumbling: “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner. Tsk! Tsk!” I bet Jesus lost a number of followers that day. Some would have concluded: “He can’t be much of a prophet or even a holy man. Lookie! He openly associates with sinners! The very idea!” They all probably knew the old maxim: A man is known by the company he keeps.
Next, there’s a glaring omission in this story. There’s no indication of what Jesus and Zack talked about during their time together! And I, for one, want to know–especially what Jesus said or what he did that turned Zack’s life completely around–180 degrees! What happened at that dinner table that changed him from a cold-hearted, conniving, selfish tax collector into a kind-hearted, generous, sorry-for-my-sins, I’ll-make-things-right-again kind of guy? In short, what turned Zack into a good and happy person? We know the answer. It was Jesus. It was Jesus being Jesus.
There’s one more thing that touches me in this story. At the end, Jesus highlights Zacchaeus’ amazing transformation: “Today salvation has come into this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.” It’s that little word seek. Yes, we seek God, we seek Jesus. But our seeking pales in comparison to the Divine Seeking of God for each one of us. In that truth lies our salvation!
We might want to ask ourselves: where are we in this story? We may not be in cahoots with the devil, but we can all relate to Zacchaeus. We fall short. (Pun intended). We don’t live up to our ideals. We become cold-hearted at times. Or perhaps we feel shunned like Zack. No matter where we find ourselves today, hopefully we are retaining our curiosity about Jesus–about his life, his teachings, his way. Or maybe we’re in the crowd, judging others, even ostracizing them whom we have labeled as no good, lost, unworthy of our attention, care, or even prayer. Or maybe (hopefully at times!) we’re Jesus–in those moments we willingly change our plans because someone we encounter needs our attention and love.
For reflection:
What stands out for you in the story of Zacchaeus?
Where are you in the story?
Is there anything you would add to this reflection?
Our song today revolves around that word seek: “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God.” And where is that Kingdom? It is within us… and among us… May we all be given the eyes to see what and whom we seek…
I welcome your comments, additions, insights below…
Advent 2023: A Celebration of Dreams and Miracles
Next Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent. Advent is the season of the church year that celebrates dreams and miracles. The dry parched desert can burst into a field of poppies and forget-me-nots… Helpless little lambs can snuggle next to mighty ferocious lions… A wild scrawny man dressed in animal hides and munching on grasshoppers can cry out in the wilderness, “REPENT!” and large crowds can listen to his rantings and be dramatically changed… And a young girl, living unnoticed in Podunk, can answer “yes” to an impossible Divine Request and conceive a child who will turn her life and the whole world upside down.
The readings of Advent give testimony to all of these remarkable things. Maybe that’s one reason so many of us are drawn to them. For they tell us: What you see is not all there is. What you assume is the end, is actually the beginning. What you hear is not the final word. What you desire in the deepest recesses of your heart can still be. The incredible things God has done in the past, God is doing in the present. Right now. And God will continue to do such unbelievable things into the future–no matter how bleak, dark, or hopeless our present time may seem.
But there’s a catch. God needs us. God needs us to help make these dreams come true, to help work these impossible miracles. In the past, God needed an Isaiah to keep the vision of hope alive before God’s people. God needed a John the Baptist to proclaim the message of returning to God. And God needed a Mary to dare to say “yes” to God’s request as no other handmaid before her had ever done. So Advent is not a time to set up permanent residence in comforting readings that promise a better future. No, it is a time to partner with God wherever we may find ourselves this Advent to help bring about that better future for which we long.
How do we do this? The ways are countless. They are limited only by our imagination and resolve. Many of these ways are mighty deeds though they may seem to be pitifully small. Allow me to suggest a few.
+ The refrain for Advent is, “Come, Lord Jesus.” Perhaps we can make this refrain our mantra this Advent as we go about our day. When we first crawl out of bed in the morning, we can say, “Come, Lord Jesus into my entire day. The easy parts, the nice parts, the fun parts. But also, Lord Jesus, come into the messy parts, the unpleasant parts, the difficult parts.” And when we crawl back into bed in the evening, we can say, “Come Lord, Jesus. Give me rest and strength this night so I may partner with you again tomorrow.”
+ Choose one way to make your small world a better place. Do this by following Jesus’ way of unselfish loving. Speak kindly to others. All others. Sometimes we’re kinder to total strangers than we are to the people we live and work with every day. Sometimes we’re kinder to others than we are to ourselves. Overlook some things. Go the extra mile. Where there is little or no love, put love and there will be love.
+ Your attention is a valuable gift. Find ways you can give your attention to someone in your life who is overlooked, taken for granted, living on the margins. It can be a family member… a co-worker… a friend… a neighbor… a pastor… a store clerk… an overworked parent… a shut-in… a caregiver… Simply ask yourself: Who is in need of a gentle word, a “thank you,” a smile, a compliment, a note, a phone call, a visit, an offer to help? In English we use the phrase “pay attention.” There’s always a small price to pay when we focus our attention on someone else.
And finally, my prayer for all of us this Advent 2023 is this:
Come, Lord Jesus! May the readings of Advent bring us great consolation. May they encourage us to dream for a better world. May they strengthen us to partner with you to bring about that better world we hope for. Give us a greater appreciation for the miracle of your life of selfless loving, a miracle we can share in every day. This Advent rekindle in us the deepest longings of our hearts for love, peace, goodness, beauty, and truth. Come, Lord Jesus, come! Amen.
For reflection:
Did anything stand out for you in today’s reflection?
Do you like the season of Advent? Why or why not?
How do you plan on celebrating or observing Advent this year?
Our song today is the Advent/Christmas song, “Beyond the Moon and Stars” by Dan Schutte. It captures so beautifully our longing for God… for peace… for light in the darkness.
I encourage you to write a comment below. Our readers will love hearing from you! Thank you!
The Mass as Thanksgiving
Deborah Meister, a writer and artist in St. Louis, MO, tells this true story. She was in the church parking lot before Mass one Sunday and overheard a child arguing with his parents. “But I don’t want to go to church,” he cried. “It’s boring!” She wondered if the father would drag his son kicking and screaming into the church. Instead, the father said to the boy, “I’m going into church to say thank you to God, because God has given us so many wonderful things that aren’t boring,” and he began to list them. The boy listened. Then he began to smile, took his father’s hand, and walked into the church.
This father could have been a scripture scholar, for he captured the essence of the Third Commandment in words his little son could understand. We “keep holy the Lord’s Day” by gathering together in community to give thanks to God for all the blessings we have received. A corollary to our thanksgiving is this: we take time to relax and enjoy the company of family and friends–whether that means staying longer at the dinner table, watching a football game or movie, playing games, going for a walk, visiting an elderly relative, going to a museum, or sitting around a fire pit in the evening.
If you ask Catholics why they go to Mass every week, you will probably get a wide range of answers: “I go because I have to… I go to show my love for Jesus… I go to get strength to deal with my problems and worries… I go to be with friends and other believers… I go to be inspired by the prayers, the scripture, the homily, the music.” These all may be true, but it is good to remember we go to give thanks to God for all our blessings. In fact, the very word Eucharist means Thanksgiving.
Do we ever take time, perhaps while we’re waiting for Mass to begin or some other time during the day, to list some of the blessings of the past week that we are grateful for? Our prayer could be simple. Here’s a sample of what our thanks might look like. It’s pretty generic, so you can fill in your specifics to make it your own:
Thank you, God, for my spouse… my children… my parents… my siblings… my friends… Thank you, God, for my job… my house… the wide variety of food we have… Thank you, God, for health… for our parish community… for the freedoms we enjoy in this country… Thank you, God, for your amazing creation, this beautiful earth… our magnificent sun… for clean air, life-sustaining water… for trees, flowers, animals of all kinds, and our entire earth community… and thank you, God, for my precious and unique gift of life… for the talents you have given me… and for the gift of my faith. I thank you for the hard things too, God–those things that make me stronger, more humble, more compassionate toward others, more trusting of you… And I thank you for giving us Jesus, your son… and all the love he poured out on us through his life, teachings, and sacrifice on the cross. For all these blessings I give you thanks, my good and gracious God. Amen.
I want to wish all of you and your loved ones
a very Happy Thanksgiving!
And I send out a BIG THANK YOU for reading my blog!
And I include a special thanks to those of you
who write comments below–whether regularly or occasionally!
For reflection: What are you most grateful for this Thanksgiving?
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New Blog!
Last Monday we launched our new and improved version of my blog, “Sunflower Seeds.” All of you should have received or will be receiving: 1) an email from me announcing the launch, 2) the new blog in your email if you are a subscriber. We are still having a few glitches with that subscriber system, and our tech people are working to fix it. But I want to thank Lina (in Oklahoma) and Alayna (in New Jersey) for all their work with the new design, for getting the blog up and running, and for “training” me on how to navigate the new system. If any problems persist, I will address them for you on this blog. Stay tuned! And thanks again for your patience!
Our video is the beautiful song from Godspell, “All Good Gifts.” I hope you enjoy the song and the visuals!
You are invited to leave a comment below… My readers and I enjoy hearing from readers like you!
